A Traitor Branded
by EmbraceDiversity
Summary: Uchiha Sasuke opens his eyes to find himself not only in the land he hates the most, but that he is at their complete mercy. He has been branded, sealed. Angry, frustrated, and bitter, he decides to take it all out on Hyuuga Hinata. Sasu/Hina. Complete. Image by LaElizO.
1. Chapter 1

xxxxx

**Chapter One**

xxxxx

There were many things people said about the afterlife. Many claimed that a white light came to claim you and you were taken to the heavens. Many believed in reincarnation; the ability to live multiple lives on and on until the spirit was mature enough to become one with the heavens. Many believed that for a heaven, there was hell; the home of demons.

If one were to ask Uchiha Sasuke, he would claim that the afterlife felt like _nothing_. There was only darkness, emptiness. No up, no down, no left, no right. No air, simply the sensation of constant freefall and your own thoughts.

He thought a lot. He thought about his life, his actions and decisions. He thought about Itachi constantly, his brother who had given up so much for a village not even worth protecting. His entire clan had to die because the powers that be were too afraid of a civil war. How many of his clan could have been saved if they had simply allowed the Uchiha to revolt? It would have been a costly battle, many would have died, but in the end, even if his clan had _lost_, they would still be _alive._

_What about Madara?_ A voice would ask every now and then.

What about him? A senile old man that hadn't had the good sense to _die_ when it had been his time. Fuck him. That bastard had, basically, killed his own clan with his asinine ideas of world domination.

_What about Orochimaru? The power you gained from him._

Who knew? Better yet, who _cared_? Had things been different, had the clan been allowed to live, had Itachi not been branded a traitor, had Sasuke not have had to experience the brutal slaughter of his entire clan by his brother, he wouldn't have even needed Orochimaru in the first place. Itachi had been stronger, Itachi would have trained him and more than likely he would have come out more powerful than he ever could have under the dead sannin's tutelage. Fuck him. Fuck Kabuto too, that sick son of a bitch who had desecrated his brother's corpse for his own twisted gains. He had thoroughly enjoyed destroying that bastard, had taken great pleasure in the deed.

_No one_ fucked with the Uchiha. Period.

Sometimes he would hear a voice in the darkness that was not his own. Itachi's, he assumed. Either that or he was insane even in death.

"_This was not what I had wanted for you brother."_

He knew that.

"_You were the one strong enough to end the Uchiha curse, to make us something better."_

He knew that…now. Death gave a person a much clearer head than in life. He understood what Itachi had wanted, he understood that Madara had used him. A part of it had known it from the beginning and hadn't _cared_. He had been angry, he had wanted blood, he had wanted _someone_ to suffer the way he had suffered, he had wanted someone to blame for Itachi's death – for all of his family's deaths. Madara had made it easy for him. The enemy? Konoha. All of those happy bastards who led happy lives and took everything they had for granted. They had things he would _never_ have, things that had been savagely removed from him at a young age and for what?

The Uchiha wished he could find Danzou in this void, he'd kill him all over again using slow torture and lots and lots of pain before sending him into oblivion.

So how did he feel now? Tired, perhaps. He had hoped that with death he would have been reunited with his clan yet all he had was darkness. Was this to be his hell, to float forever in a sea of _nothing_? Not that he wanted to look at Itachi, to see the disappointment there. He knew it would be there, because he had done the very thing Itachi had implored him _not_ to do. It hadn't been his brother's fault; he hadn't known that Sasuke had been hanging on to sanity by a small thread, one that was severed upon his death. Madara had taken advantage of it and Sasuke had allowed it. It had been easier to simply give into madness, to lash out at the world for the completely _fucked up_ hand it had dealt him. It was easier to hate than it was to love, it was easier to fight recklessly and risk death than to live a meaningless life.

Was he still angry? Did he still hate? Had he been enraged or happy when he and Naruto had killed each other? Did he feel a sense of peace? The words Itachi had imparted to him after he had taken his brother's eyes…did he understand them now? Of course he did, otherwise Madara would still be alive. Itachi had always been thorough in everything he had done, including keeping a part of himself within his own eyes in case Sasuke did the unthinkable. Everything his brother had done had been to protect him in one way or another, even after death.

Sasuke would _never_ be the sort of man Itachi had been. He hadn't the strength. Or rather, could have been, since he was dead and all.

Now the Uchiha were truly dead and while it hadn't been Itachi's intention for him, seemed like the best choice. He had only been able to break the 'curse' at the end, when it had already been too late. He hadn't understood the full truth until then. What did it matter? How did one man restore a clan and change it for the better? How was that possible? How could he have lived a normal life, returning to the land of his birth, when that land had so thoroughly betrayed him? It didn't matter that it had only been a few people, it didn't matter that no one else had agreed with the decision because it wouldn't _bring his family back_.

It was better to die than to live at this point; he had nothing else to live for. Now that he was dead, now that the tendrils of insanity no longer held him, he knew that even if he had lived he wouldn't have been able to live the life Itachi had wanted for him. Even now that he no longer held his blood thirst and no longer cared about the fate of Konoha and its people, it was not as if he would have, or could have, returned. He would have been branded a traitor for defecting to Orochimaru, even if the snake was dead. Itachi's wish for him had been unrealistic, how could he have thought that his little brother would simply return to an empty existence simply because he had wanted it for him?

_What am I?_ Came the thought. _Who am I now? What is my purpose? What do I feel now?_

"_You were stronger than you believed."_ Itachi's voice again. Why could he hear him but not see him? _"If you were given a second chance, what would you do little brother? Who would you become, now that you've realized what you truly should have done?_"

Surely he was going mad from the void or perhaps his insanity remained? A second chance? Those were words someone like Sabaku no Gaara spouted, not his brother. A second chance at what?

_What would be waiting for me?_

"_Your future. Our future."_

Light erupted from all sides, eliminating the darkness and the numbness to bring pain to his eyes. It burned his skin until blood poured from the wounds, strange since he was being _burned_ and not cut. His chest, gods it was so excruciatingly painful.

_What the hell is this?_

"_Your second chance."_

Dark grey eyes opened, unseeing, his mind screaming as the pain increased and intensified until he thought he would die all over again from shock. His body felt heavy, so damn heavy, and he couldn't think properly. There was only pain.

"He's awake." A voice, one he couldn't recognize. It sounds muffled and very distant. He still couldn't see. "Put him back under."

Darkness reclaimed him, except this time he understood it was not the darkness of the void but the darkness of his own mind.

_I'm not dead anymore._

"_No._"

_Itachi, what the fuck am I supposed to do? Live? For what? I have no life, I have no future, it died when the clan was slaughtered. There is nothing, _I_ am nothing._

"_No."_ the voice of his brother stubbornly repeated. No, there _was_ something, something Itachi would not tell him. Sasuke could feel his brother's spirit as he pushed him back into his now worthless body.

The Uchiha panicked. _Itachi, don't do this._ He pleaded, begged even. _I would rather remain in this empty void than go back there._

"_Living without meaning or living in a void, what is the difference then, Sasuke?"_

_Brother!_

"_You were meant for more than this."_ There was a small pause _"This is the last gift I can truly impart to you, little brother. Live and do what you were truly meant to do."_

Pain lanced through his chest as he snapped back into consciousness, gulping in air as if he had been drowning. Dark eyes open and move wildly in an effort to deal with the pain as well as determine where he was. It was too difficult to think or move; he hurt _everywhere_. He tried to scream but his throat was too raw, too thick for any sound to emerge. Fingers dug into fabric and his body jerked harshly a few times before he was finally able to settle, his breaths harsh. He could feel something on him, cool and…comforting?

_Someone is touching me._

Quickly growing angry, the surviving Uchiha tried to focus his gaze on the individual who dared to put their hands where they didn't belong. Images were still blurry and his eyes were still moving rather rapidly around but eventually he forced his body to cooperate with his mind.

At first it looked like a purple blob and he had to blink his eyes repeatedly until the film coating them receded. As he was finally able to focus he felt that same cool pressure on his forehead and his eyes narrowed. It was a female, not a very tall one, with long dark purple hair that came down to her lower back. Her body was covered almost from head to toe in baggy clothing, so he could not determine her weight or real size. The girl's skin was pale, paler than his, but it wasn't until her eyes met his that he knew who she was.

Hyuuga. With his excellent memory he knew her to be Hyuuga Hinata, the heir to the Hyuuga clan. She had been in his class back at the academy, a meek, shy girl with no self-esteem which had directly affected her abilities as a kunoichi. Her cousin, Neji, had been a person he had wanted to fight at one point and beyond the basic knowledge of who the girl was he hadn't given much care or thought towards her. The Hyuuga was obviously older and looked less like a twelve year old girl, but he did not forget faces or names. Besides her growing out her hair and hiding an obviously developed body she looked practically the same. That meant only one thing.

_How is this different from hell, Itachi?_

He opened his mouth but no words emerged. Her white eyes looked over him and he couldn't tell if she was honestly looking at him or _through_ him. It was extremely unnerving. Quickly her gaze snapped away and she bent her body slightly, pressing a button.

Half of the bed began to smoothly shift so that he was sitting up. He could hear the sound of beeping machines. When he looked at her again she was putting something cool against his lips. Cold water drifted down a grateful throat as he swallowed and when she moved to pull the glass away he actually growled at her. The girl's eyes widened in surprise at his reaction but she put the glass back to his lips and did not remove it until emptied.

"Where am I?" the words emerged but they sounded harsh, as if he had swallowed sandpaper and washed it down with gravel. He sounded the same way he felt, like shit.

"Konoha…" her voice was soft, gentle. For some sick reason it reminded him of his mother, even though her voice had never been that high or that soft. Her eyes also hadn't been white.

Closing his own eyes he swallowed spit "Kill me."

The Hyuuga gasped and he allows his eyes to drift back up to her face. She looks appalled by his request and yet she does not turn from his piercing gaze. Perhaps she had matured; he was sure in the past she had been unable to do such a thing.

"I-I can't do that." When he continues to stare at her she does eventually turn away and begins to fill his glass with water once more.

Even his chuckle sounded like shit "Scared?" Sasuke taunted, giving her a humorless smirk. "Never killed before?"

Her body went very still. She stood with the glass of water in her hand, pitcher in the other. Slowly, she set the pitcher down and moved back to him. He couldn't read her emotions which was strange; he had been sure that the girl had always worn her emotions within those huge, weird eyes of hers.

Sasuke did try to take the glass this time but found his body unresponsive to his commands. Annoyed by this, he doesn't notice the emotion that flickers on her face.

"Are you scared to live?"

He jerked away from her as much as he can, ignoring the pain lancing through his chest and the rest of his body, spilling water on himself. Quickly she removed the glass and tries to grab a towel to dry him off somewhat.

"Fuck you." It is said with as much malice as he can muster, because this girl has officially pissed him off to the point that he actually wanted to physically harm her. He wanted to grab her by the neck and ask her if _she_ was scared to die. The Uchiha wanted to lash out at her, scream at her, something, _anything_.

He decides that he hates her, he hates her because they both knew the answer to her question and it enrages him that he truly _is_ afraid to live and he has always prided himself on never being afraid of anything. He hates the fact that she so clearly saw that weakness in him and instead of being angry with himself for having such a fear, he finds it easier to simply place it all on her.

Instead of lashing out at him or crying or anything a girl should have done, she merely smiled thinly at him. It was not a smile that reached her eyes and he could tell it was one that bordered along the lines of pity. He found himself hating her even more.

"Would you like some more water?" she asked, as if he hadn't just told her off a moment ago. Her expression seems sad, although he never remembered it looking like anything else when he had been younger. The Hyuuga didn't look at him but she held the glass in her hand all the same.

The Uchiha wanted to tell her to piss off, he wanted to tell her that he didn't want or need her pity. He wanted to hurt her, this girl that had everything _he_ _didn't;_ this girl who was looking down at him as if he were some sort of kicked puppy.

"Why am I here?" he asked instead, understanding that he needed to better understand what was going on around him. Chasing the girl away would leave him ignorant, something a shinobi couldn't afford.

Realizing that he would not accept any more water from her, the girl set the glass back down and began to check his vitals.

"You were brought here after Sakura-san brought you and Naruto-kun back from the dead. Tsunade-sama also helped, as well as Ino-san and Shizune-san." Still she could not look at him and he found himself uncaring. He hoped she stayed uncomfortable. He hoped she died, cause didn't matter.

Sasuke evaluated the situation based on the small amount of information given. So he and Naruto had both died; just as the blonde had promised. Unfortunately, Konoha had no limits to the amount of meddling they did in people's lives, for they had brought both of them back from the dead.

And now he was here, the last place he had ever wanted to be. Death was preferable to this hell.

"I am a prisoner here." It was not a question and she didn't treat it like one.

"Y…yes." She hesitated "Naruto-kun is still healing, along with many others. Hokage-sama hasn't decided what she wants to do with you s-so…"

Catching on, Sasuke decided to test his bonds by trying to move his arms and legs. Like before, he found that he couldn't move them. The initial thought had been that he was simply too injured; now he knew. He looked down and sure enough there were long black tattoos along his arms and he was sure they were around his legs as well. Tsunade didn't know what she wanted to do with him, but escape wasn't one of those. His arms and legs were sealed, he couldn't move.

Of course, he wasn't considered a genius for nothing. He decided to make the girl feel as uncomfortable as possible while still gleaning information from her "So, how the fuck am I supposed to take a piss?" he demanded and as expected, her face turned a bright red and she looked very uncomfortable.

Hyuuga made a series of hand signs and placed one hand on his arm and one on his leg. The seals were still there but he felt the pressure lift from his limbs. Without hesitation his hand snapped up and around her neck, jerking her down to his level. The girl let out a strangled cry, delicate hands gripping his large hand as he choked her. With a smirk he squeezed.

"Still an idiot." He muttered, his eyes burning holes into hers. Sasuke wasn't going to kill her but he definitely wanted her to suffer a little for the humiliation he had suffered earlier. "Are you always so trusting?" As a further intimidation tactic he began to activate his Sharingan.

Thousands of hot needles pierced through his brain as stars burst through his vision. The girl forgotten, his hands delved into his hair and pulled, the pain more intense than the pain in his chest. He let out his own strangled cry and deactivates his bloodline limit, blinking back tears as the pain quickly subsided and turned into a dull throb. He laid there, panting, eyes wide with shock and disbelief. Once he regained his sense of self he turned his full attention back to the girl who looks alarmed but not frightened as she should have been.

"What. Did you do to me." The Uchiha demanded "What did you do?" despite the pain in his throat he was able to somewhat shout at her, wanting to grab at her again but she had backed a safe distance away.

Instead of answering she turned her back to him and walked over to the far wall. He almost yelled at her again – he didn't like being ignored – when she turned and began to walk back to him, a mirror in her hands. Snatching it from her when she held it out for him he quickly looked at himself and started.

On his forehead was a seal that looked almost identical to the Hyuuga seals used on their branch members. There were a few differences, one being that it was blue instead of bright green and there were two extra symbols that rested above and below the center mark that looked like diamonds.

They sealed him. They fucking put a seal on him. With more force than he felt his body held, he threw the mirror against the wall in front of him, shattering it. Cold black eyes snapped to the girl but she didn't move, didn't even flinch. The Hyuuga merely looked down at the ground, silent.

"Did you do this?" he hissed. She slowly shook her head.

"W-when they had been able to d-determine that you would live my father and Tsunade-sama developed that seal."

_Remain calm. She's willing to give information, get as much as you can and then kill her._ "What does it _do?_"

Although her head was down he could see her bite her lip before those pale eyes rose to meet his dark ones "I-it works like the branch seal i-in that if you're killed it will render your Sharingan useless to the enemy. T-the extra symbols were made exclusively for preventing you from using your bloodline limit."

"Kill me." It was not a joke. This truly was hell, for he knew the branch seals couldn't be removed even if the Hyuuga wished to do so and as long as the remaining seals stayed he had no access to his true power. Uchiha Sasuke was completely and utterly helpless and under the full control of Konoha. He was now bound to this village; the cursed seal alone was enough to secure that. If he left, it would only take tracking him and activating the seal, turning his brain into jelly. "I'd rather die than live like this."

For some reason, tears sprung to her eyes. It angered him because it was more pity and it meant that she would not oblige him. They would not kill him and he was too proud to take his own life. This was what Itachi had brought him back to, this was his future. What future was there in this? What sort of _life_ was he supposed to lead now?

"I-I'm sorry…" she actually sounded sincere. "I…I can't do that."

"Can't, or won't?" he snarled at her "Get the fuck out then. Get out! You were worthless then and you're worthless now; just get the fuck out."

Actual pain emerged on her face and she looked as if he had just slapped her. Once more their eyes met, his cold gaze to her warm, watery one. Even after all these years she was still weak and pathetic, allowing even someone like him to get under her skin.

Then he watched as her hands balled into fists and her eyes hardened. She blinked back her tears, took a deep breath and let it out. The girl actually raised her chin at him, looking every bit the aristocrat she was bred to be.

"No." Although her voice hadn't raised and it still held that softness to it, there was finality to her tone. "I have my orders so…I will see them through. I-I won't run away j-just because you want me to."

This time he smiled at her, teeth and all, in an almost feral grin "You won't be able to do your job if you're dead; which is what will happen if you come near me again. Did you forget what just happened five minutes ago?"

Instead of looking frightened or alarmed, she maintained her stubborn calm "Uchiha-san, please look at your arm."

How he hadn't noticed it before he had no idea, because when she said that he actually tried to move said arm and found that he could not. Looking down he saw dozens of red marks beginning from his wrist and ending at his bicep. His eyes widened in obvious shock, when the hell had she…

It had been when her hands had moved on top of his. Because he had activated the Sharingan he hadn't been able to see her fingers locking up his chakra points at the same time. The pain from activating his bloodline limit had overridden the pain of her attack.

The shy, sniveling, pathetic little twelve year old he had known had grown up to become an actual kunoichi. She had allowed him to believe that she would be too weak to strike and then struck when the opportunity had presented itself.

"I underestimated you." He admitted "It won't happen again."

The Hyuuga nodded, genuinely understanding. Her strange calm and kind demeanor was off putting; he could rile her up but he couldn't frighten her. Then again, if she was main house it meant that she knew how to activate his seal, so of course she wasn't genuinely afraid of him.

Once again she did something extremely strange. Walking back over to him, he watched as chakra-filled veins surrounded the corners of her eyes, activating her own bloodline limit. Then, with a speed he didn't remember her possessing, she unlocked all of the chakra points she had just blocked. The Uchiha just stared at her.

She said nothing, instead she continued her work, removing his old bandages to look over and treat the huge raw mangled flesh that had once been the left side of his chest. Well, that explained why it hurt like hell.

Unlike any other female he had ever encountered or dealt with, she was utterly professional with him. No lingering touches, no blushing, if anything she looked detached. The salve she put on his wound did not look like standard hospital issue and his suspicions were confirmed when he smelled the obvious herbs she had used to make the concoction. It burned like hell but he refused to give her the satisfaction of seeing him any more uncomfortable than he already was. Quickly she bandaged him with fresh wraps and offered water to him one last time and looked uncaring when he declined.

"Please try not to move very much," she informed him "I'm not an actual medical ninja, although I have knowledge in medicinal herbs and as heir to the Hyuuga clan I know about the cursed seals. Please let me know if you need to use the restroom and I will help you there and back; you're still very weak from your ordeal."

"So what?" he sneered "Why do you care whether or not I'm comfortable?" If what she was saying was true than the only reason she was in the room was because she held the power to destroy his mind should she choose to. She was a guard, there to make sure he didn't get out of line; that was all.

Once more she smiled at him and it was sad. Unbelievably so and pity did not swim just beneath the surface of those milky eyes of hers.

"Because you're a precious person to the person that I care greatly for and respect." She answered honestly "And because I believe in second chances."

"Then you're a fool."

She didn't disagree with him "And even though you are who you are and you've done what you've done…there are people who still love you dearly, who still care for you and wish for your happiness. I-I believe that…if you hadn't been worth the effort they wouldn't have done all of this. S-so I also want to wish for your happiness, b-because you are not a special person to so many people for no reason."

"_I see them. I see them all laughing, laughing at me!"_

"I suppose it's easy to spout some bullshit like that when you have everything." He spat, yet he found himself unable to look at her. Suddenly he found himself feeling very tired. He wished he was back in the void, because at least the void didn't have white-eyed girls calmly and sincerely informing him that they believed he was truly important and worth giving a shit about. "I suppose it's real easy to hold some sort of unlimited love or some shit in your heart when you've never lost anyone important to you." He said the last part low, his anger turning him cold. He hated her, he really hated this girl. People like her didn't exist, shouldn't exist. People like her were killed before they could reach a decent age, killed or their personalities warped and twisted. Like his had been.

This girl was possibly the purest female he had ever encountered.

She completely and utterly _sickened_ him.

_Are you doing this, brother?_ He thought angrily. _What do you think this will prove?_

Of course, he was met with cold silence. Itachi apparently no longer wished to speak to him. Live and do what he should have done? What the hell did that even mean? Live _what_ life? Without his clan, he had no life, he had _nothing_. He neither wanted nor needed anyone or anything. Why didn't his brother just let him stay dead? Was this some sort of punishment?

"I haven't…experienced much loss," her soft voice brought him out of his thoughts and he looked back up at her. The Hyuuga wasn't looking at him, her gaze was off to the side and down. "And my hardships…are nothing compared to yours. I will never be able to relate to you or truly understand how you feel; I don't think anyone can. They're holding out their hands to you, hoping that you'll let them fill the void in you. It's not…replacing what you've lost, they just want…to be important to you. Because you are precious to them and they love you. They'll always love you b-because to them you…you are _their _family."

Had she said this to him a year ago, he might have laughed in her face. No, he would have laughed in her face as he punctured a hole in her chest with the Chidori. Unfortunately, many things had happened to him after he had taken his brother's eyes, including Itachi's last attempt to save his brother before he had been killed by Naruto. Unfortunately, as much as he didn't want to admit it because he knew the truth – he understood in death what he hadn't in life – her words affected him. Because Uchiha Sasuke was a highly intelligent young man, he began to understand what Itachi was trying to tell him.

So he ignored it. He denied it and locked it away, refusing to acknowledge it, refusing to accept that his brother wanted him to _live_ his life in the place he hated more than anything. He refused to accept that this girl held the same faith in him that Itachi seemed to, because the notion was ridiculous.

Living in Konoha wasn't a life, it was hell. They would take him and use him, they would force him into submission and if those greedy bastards had anything to say about it, they would be more than happy to allow him to impregnate as many women as he wanted because who wouldn't like to start from scratch and completely control the Uchiha and the Sharingan? Was that what Itachi wanted? To have the clan restored and completely under Konoha's thumb?

_This is not life brother, this is hell. An insufferable hell._

x x x x

**AN:** This story takes place two years after chapter 487. Sequels to this story are 'Autumn Light' and 'A Fan in the Sun'. There is one lemon scene in Chapter 21 for those who wish to avoid that sort of thing. As this fic is a little over 2 years old and unbeta'd at the time of writing this, one of the biggest things you'll see grammar-wise is improper usage of verb tenses. So far, no one has been too terribly turned off by this. I'll be going back and fixing things here and there as time goes on, but nothing major will change.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

xxxxx

"How are you feeling?"

"Do you care?"

An eyebrow twitched and dark brown eyes looked up at the teenager lying on the bed in front of her, glaring. Of course, his behavior was to be expected and a part of her truly did understand why he was so hateful and angry. Did that mean he had to go and do what he did? No. There were always other paths, other choices that would have been better than the one he had picked.

_Then again, being driven to insanity can mar anyone's judgment._

"I wouldn't _ask_ if I didn't _care_, Uchiha." Tsunade snapped and looked back down at his charts. He was healing wonderfully, a few more days and he could be discharged. Naruto was already out of the hospital, the kyuubi giving him ridiculous healing abilities. Sakura had also left the hospital weeks ago, having suffered from complete chakra exhaustion. They were both eager and yet not eager to see their fallen avenger. She could sympathize "Listen, the sooner you cooperate with me the sooner I can get your ass out of here and free up this room. You've been here for three damn months as it is."

Dark grey eyes widened slightly as he regarded her "Three months?" he repeated. "I had been completely out of it for two months?"

The Hokage nodded "Yes, you were in a coma for a while and a few times you almost didn't make it. Then there's the few weeks you've spent awake antagonizing my healers." He pointedly ignored her glare "Looking at this, however, you should be good to go in another day or so."

"Hooray." He deadpanned, eyes narrowing "That doesn't mean jack shit to me if I'm just going to go to prison."

Once again Tsunade resisted the urge to pound him back into oblivion. She was known for her short temper and the Uchiha was _really_ good at pissing people off. "You stand trial the day you're released. Your fate will be determined then."

He didn't even blink "You already know what's going to happen to me. The decision has already been made, nothing I do or say will change the overall outcome. Do you think I'm stupid?"

Her smile was thin "They want to try and turn you into an asset again." She said honestly. The Uchiha _wasn't_ stupid, something she was well aware of. So fine, if he wanted the truth, she'd give it to him. "They'll give you limited use of your Sharingan if you decide to cooperate."

Leaning back in the bed he actually looked thoughtful "You mean as a Konoha shinobi?"

"Not at first." She placed his chart down on the table "They want to put you on a trial, six months to a year of good behavior and you get half of the seal on your Sharingan removed. You'll be evaluated again and if you've been a good little Uchiha they'll remove the other half after another trial period which will probably be much longer."

"How much longer?"

Tsunade blinked. Was he…actually taking this seriously? There had to be some ulterior motive, everyone knew his feelings concerning the village. "A year, maybe two. After the first trial period your Sharingan will be accessible to you, but it will be severely limited. Let's just say you'll be on par with your twelve year old self."

The fallen avenger let out a dark chuckle "Was this Naruto's idea? Give the traitor a few years to think about what he's done while they try to convert him back to being Konoha's bitch? I'm sure the council lapped that up because the longer I stay here, the higher the chances are of me knocking someone up and wouldn't it be nice to have an Uchiha completely uncorrupted and available for manipulation?" he sounded so completely angry and…bitter.

Okay, the claims of his genius obviously weren't exaggerated. The Hokage didn't even try to deny his accusations "Look Uchiha, if it really was up to me I'd be more than happy to lock your sorry ass up and throw away the key. Hell, I was content with you just staying dead, you've caused enough grief to last a few lifetimes. However, _none_ of this is in my hands. So what are you going to do?" Her tone was flat and serious; she didn't like this boy at all. He didn't deserve a second chance, he had been given _multiple_ chances and had spit and shit on each one. As far as the Hokage was concerned, the boy could go fuck himself and take his self-serving attitude with him.

But it wasn't up to her.

"I thought you said you cared about me," he said with a smirk "I'm hurt."

Tsunade almost did hit him. This little bastard…

His expression turned very serious, dragging her out of her train of thought "There's nothing I _can_ do." He finally answered "Making it sound as if I have a choice is laughable."

"You could say no." She shrugged.

"It doesn't matter. Jail or stuck in this village, it's all the same."

It wasn't truly a lie. Even if he accepted to avoid prison, he couldn't leave the village and he was forever bound now that he had that cursed seal. On top of that, the seals on his arms and legs would lock up if he tried to leave, something that she hadn't bothered to tell anyone and wasn't going to for a while. Let him find out the hard way if he was that stupid. Either way, the Uchiha was trapped in a situation he didn't want to be in. She found herself unable to feel sympathy.

"At least you'll be able to live alone." When he raised a skeptical eyebrow at her she smiled "After Pein destroyed Konoha and we rebuilt, we did not restore the Uchiha sector, but it is still uninhabited as many fear that it could be haunted. You will live in one of the apartments there and will be allowed to go wherever you please within the village."

"Tch." He closed his eyes "What if I start killing people indiscriminately and be damned the consequences? Do you really think I'm helpless without the Sharingan?"

"Oh, I know you aren't." she said confidently "But I also know that as long as you're alive, you'll want your bloodline limit back. You'll behave."

The ends of his mouth twitched, but he didn't open his eyes "Damn. There goes my idea of raping and pillaging." He said it so flatly and with no emotion she actually wondered if he was really being sarcastic or not "How many ANBU will be trailing me on a daily basis?"

"None of your business."

"What else?" he decided not to waste time on probing for answers, she noticed "I _seriously_ don't believe that you're just going to let me prance around the village by myself for months on end without doing something."

"You're going to be assigned to team seven and they're going to, basically, baby-sit your ass." She smirked when he scowled but he still didn't open his eyes "You'll be doing low ranked missions within the village as well, grunt work mostly. What you earn is what you eat from, so don't try to bullshit it. No one is allowed to cater to you for the first trial period; you're on your own when it comes to your own supplies and food."

"Whatever." He didn't sound at all concerned "If I agree to all of these asinine terms will you skip the trial? I don't feel like wasting my time on formalities."

Tsunade shrugged. She could, and probably would, but he could sweat it out for a while. She didn't really want to deal with it either if she didn't have to. "We'll see." Was all she said.

This time she scowled when the Uchiha smirked, eyes still closed, as if he had read her mind and already knew the answer "Oh yeah," he remarked as an afterthought. He opened his eyes then and looked Tsunade straight in the eye "Tell the council I'd rather cut off my own dick and eat it before I give those bastards any kid of mine."

xxxxx

He had actually asked to have surgery so that he would be unable to reproduce shortly after his extremely vulgar and curt declaration to Tsunade concerning reproducing – which he had mostly said just to be annoying and uncooperative. Naturally, he had been denied. That was fine with him; he had kept it in his pants for the past eighteen years already, despite the possible rumors going around that Orochimaru had probably molested him all those years ago.

_As if I would have let that sick bastard touch me like that and he walk away with both of his hands intact. By the end of the first year I already had more than enough power and strength to hold my own, by the second year I had practically surpassed him. Idiots._

So no surgery and he wasn't about to jab a kunai into his crotch so that meant he was going to stay healthy and virile for a bit longer. Sasuke didn't think he needed to worry too much about it, the females in Konoha were idiots and they had probably grown up to be even bigger idiots. He ignored idiots, they weren't worth his time.

His apartment was on the ground floor and he was the only occupant, which was _fine_ by him. It wasn't a large place and he was surprised to see that it actually came furnished. With the way the old woman had been talking he had thought he'd be sleeping on the floor until he had scraped up enough money from shitty D and C rank missions to buy one. Surprisingly enough he also had about two weeks' worth of food in his refrigerator and probably three weeks of instant…ramen. He scowled darkly at the bowls.

_Naruto. Only that retard would stock me up on ramen of all things. If I'm going to die, I'd like for it to not be from high blood pressure._

So that meant they were giving him a small start and it was up to him to keep it going. Well, at least they weren't _completely_ heartless. He had no belongings of his own but he found his closet had a week, and only a weeks' worth of standard ninja apparel. Black collared shirt with black pants, each shirt had a very small Uchiha symbol sewn into the back. He surmised this was probably because they wanted everyone to be able to easily identify him as opposed to respecting his pride for his clan. That was fine; he wasn't ashamed of who he was or what he did. Standard ninja gear was in a chest at the foot of his bed.

The first thing he started doing once he had entered his apartment and looked around was exercise. Three months of lying prone would have considerably weakened his muscles and he had already looked at himself in the mirror a few times to see that he had lost a tremendous amount of weight. As he reached his two hundred set of pushups he briefly debated on purchasing a bar high enough for him to hang up and do pull ups on. Even though his clan had been wealthy none of that existed any longer. Sasuke was a relic who had to start his life over from scratch.

Unfortunately, he knew that escape would be impossible; he couldn't even pretend to entertain the idea. Even with the other two seals gone, the Hyuuga seal on his forehead was enough to let him know that he was a prisoner. Unless he wanted to commit suicide, he would have to remain where he was. This left him with a lack of knowledge on what he wanted to do. He hated this village and everyone in it yet he was forced to spend the rest of his days within its walls. Uchiha Sasuke was…stuck.

It wasn't that he wasn't enraged by this, but he didn't find himself as devastated about it as he probably should be. They had forced him to live and become a prisoner and that did piss him off, but he found himself not caring about living out his life here. He was beginning to feel apathetic about quite a lot of things actually, because giving a shit about them wasn't going to change anything and he didn't like dwelling and entertaining ridiculous notions. If he left, he would die. He wanted to die, but not so disgracefully. Dying from brain melting was a sad and insulting way for a warrior to go. Killing oneself was just a sign of weakness and he was _not_ weak.

"_Are you scared to live?"_

"_Live and do what you were truly meant to do."_

The Hyuuga and Itachi. Their words bothered him on a daily basis. He had seen the pale eyed girl a few times after that, but the two of them had never engaged in any sort of conversation after the initial confrontation. Her question had insulted him on a level he hadn't realized at the time, to the point that he wanted to prove her wrong. He was an Uchiha, he didn't fear anything and he didn't _give in_ to fear.

_I'm not afraid of living._

So fuck her. Screw her and her soft voice, her gentle gazes and her delicate touch. She was ridiculously soft and weak anyway, what could she possibly know or understand about him?

Itachi was a different matter. Basically, he was giving into his brother's wishes against his will. He would live – as a nice 'fuck you' to the Hyuuga bitch. As for what he was truly meant to do…he really hoped that Itachi hadn't meant to restore the clan, because he wouldn't do that. Have his direct descendents become pawns to the village who had slaughtered their ancestors? Absolutely not. He'd rather drown in a shallow river.

It was when he had switched to one hand pushups that someone knocked on his door. Annoyed beyond belief – who the hell? – he smoothly rose up from the ground and within a few strides ripped the door open. Standing in front of him was Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi. They stared at him and he stared back.

Then he slammed the door in their faces and calmly walked back to continue his routine.

This time, and he was sure it was Naruto, someone pounded on his door. His suspicions were confirmed when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey you!" Naruto shouted "Stop being a bastard and let us in!"

"Fuck off." He didn't even pause in his reps "I don't have time for a reunion."

It took everything within him not to activate his Sharingan when he felt Kakashi's chakra enter his domain. Instead he shot up, turning his head to the man who was now sitting on top of his couch, reading his porn.

_He still reads that garbage?_

"Yo." Kakashi gave a half hearted wave as he continued to be engrossed in his book "Glad to see you're feeling better."

"Unless you're here to drag me off on some idiotic mission chasing around a stupid cat or digging around in mud go away." Instead of going back to his pushups he shifted and decided to work on sit-ups.

"That's not until next week," the jounin said calmly. Naruto was still pounding on his door and the two ignored the blonde "We're just here to say hello. By the way, if you don't stop Naruto, Sakura will probably…"

The blonde suddenly crashed through Sasuke's door, completely shattering it into pieces. Sakura was standing at the door, fist in the air and looking menacing. Sitting up, Sasuke took in Naruto's prone position.

"Do that." The copy-nin finished and went back to his book.

Naruto really was knocked out. Idiot. His dark gaze slid up to Sakura "You owe me a new door." Was all he said. The girl turned as pink as her hair and began to stammer off apologies before he raised a hand, cutting her off "I don't care, just get me a new door."

Timidly she walked in, looking as if he were about to jump on her and rip her to pieces for shattering his door. Truthfully, looking at Naruto knocked out cold due to Sakura's beatings was quite amusing. He had every intention of kicking his ass as well when they started sparring, which he knew they would. When it came to fighting, the two of them held a bond no one could break. It had been so strong they had killed each other.

Briefly, he remembered how he had felt when it had happened. Free. Content. They had known, they had understood, they had accepted their fate. Strange how he hadn't recalled that until now.

"I really am sorry Sasuke-kun," she said softly and continued to tiptoe into his apartment. He just stared at her.

"I'm not going to literally bite your head off," he snapped, making her jump slightly "so do what you want and get the hell out. All of you."

There was silence. Slowly, Naruto opened his eyes and sat up to rub the large knot that Sakura had 'lovingly' left for him. Kakashi still looked totally engrossed in his book. Sakura's eyes were shining at him with hope and perhaps love, the latter was an emotion he had no experience in.

Then the pink haired girl slammed into his body, her arms wrapping tightly around him. Since he was already sitting, he had been able to keep from falling over, but he also didn't put his arms around her. She held him close, tears streaming down her face, shoulders shaking.

"I…I…" she stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence "S-Sasuke-kun…"

"Let go of me." He said it calmly but there was a hint of malice in his tone. He did _not_ like her touching him and he was seriously two seconds from becoming violent "Just because I agreed to behave doesn't mean we're one big fucking happy family again."

The girl snapped back from him as if he had burned her, sadness and hurt swimming in her jade gaze. For some reason, her image shifted to a girl with pale white eyes and long purple hair.

_What the…_

"I'm sorry…I…." she continued to stammer, leaning back on her feet "I know things won't ever be like before. We're practically adults now so…"

"You don't know me." The Uchiha stood up and the trio knew he was addressing all of them "You all hung onto an illusion of a kid you only heard stories about but didn't know. I don't want anything to do with any of you."

It was a lie. There _was_ one person who understood him, the idiot who was looking up at him with calm blue eyes. They exchanged a look, no words needed to be said for there to have been a conversation. When the Uchiha snorted and brushed past the two of them to walk out of the apartment, he could hear Naruto talking to Sakura.

"Let him go, Sakura-chan," the blonde said softly to her "It's gonna take some time, ya know?"

He scowled as he walked out into the streets of Konoha. Time? Well, they had certainly given him quite a bit of it. Weeks he had sat after his initial awakening, thinking. Remembering. There had been a few things that he hadn't remembered before his death, such as how he had felt when he had died; he remembered what he had learned in death. Itachi wanted him to live, had forced him to return for that purpose.

Uchiha Sasuke was here, brought back by his brother and his old allies – he refused to call them 'friends' – and his brother only had one request of him; to live. It wasn't that he regretted the people he had killed or the path he had taken, but he could no longer ignore all of the things Itachi had done for him. The pain of his clan still haunted him but it wasn't the unbearable burning in his mind, the constant voices whispering for him to take revenge, to _kill_. It was as if the cloud and fog within his mind had lifted and suddenly he could think and rationalize.

Or perhaps he was simply too tired to give a shit anymore. Tired of fighting their desires to keep a lock on him no matter what he did. His brother wanted him to break the Uchiha curse, so here he was. Even though he was supposed to have a purpose, even though he knew it was expected for him to do certain things, he felt so empty. Hollow.

The bottom line was that he really just wanted to be left the fuck alone. He didn't want all of his psycho fan-girls mooning over him again, he didn't want Naruto to come over trying to act all buddy-buddy with him, he still couldn't stand Kakashi's presence for some reason and when Sakura had touched him he had actually felt physically ill. Once upon a time, he had almost killed her; so why was she crying, why were her eyes full of happiness? Could it have really been because of a childhood crush? For some reason it just…made him feel ill.

His feet had taken him to the training grounds, which was a welcome relief. The Uchiha hadn't really had a destination set in mind when he had left the apartment, he had just needed to get away from the constant reminders of the people who had saved his life and for some reason still loved him. He had to live, but he wasn't forced to make bonds and he didn't want to. He just wanted…

A soft grunt drives him out of his train of thought and his body continues to move on its own again although this time he is actually aware of his actions. Moving through the forest he came across another clearing and kept to the back when he realized who it was.

That ridiculous jacket of hers was off, leaving her with a form fitting dark purple shirt that held fishnet from the arms to just below the collarbone. Her hands were glowing and her eyes held those ever familiar veins showing that she was using the Byakugan.

_She knows I'm here._

He was aware that the average Hyuuga who held the bloodline limit had a rather limited range. He was also aware that considering the Hyuuga's skills when he had first encountered her that her range was probably much wider than any 'standard' Hyuuga. It was just a feeling.

Although he was absolutely positive that she could see him, she didn't tense or show any signs and he found himself lightly impressed. She truly wasn't that little girl he remembered years ago.

He knew very little about the Byakugan and even less about their fighting style but he did notice that she was rather…slow. Well, perhaps not slow in the conventional sense, she could probably take out a jounin level shinobi with the speed she currently possessed. It was just that for someone like him, who was insanely fast, she looked as if she were moving in slow motion. The Uchiha could also see several different ways to kill her based on the way she left herself open alone. Either the Hyuuga style was somewhat flawed or she wasn't as good as he had given her credit for.

_Or maybe she's just nowhere near my level of power and skill._

It was pretty to look at, he supposed. She barely touched the log she was hitting yet she was leaving rather large dents within the wood as it collapsed into itself. The style used flat palms instead of fists making it a rather strange taijutsu, but even without the Sharingan he could see that it wasn't just her hands that were dangerous, it was her entire body. She could emit chakra through any point in her body, something that required a ridiculous amount of chakra control and, well, a bloodline limit. He had heard of something Hyuuga Neji had done during the chunnin exams all those years ago, something about an ability that provided him with the perfect defense simply due to his ability to control all of the chakra points in his body. The Uchiha briefly wondered if she knew the technique, after all, she _was_ the heir.

"Uchiha-san," her soft voice cut through the silence and she did not stop her movements "you would need the Byakugan to be able to fully use the techniques."

"I know that." He said flatly, walking out into the open. "Did _you_ forget I can't use my Sharingan?"

The girl's face heated in embarrassment and he mentally ticked off the score being 1-1.

"Where's the Inuzuka and the Aburame?" he asked, sensing that it was only the two of them in the clearing.

Slowly, she tilted her head up to him and blinked those white eyes at him "Um, you remember them?"

"I don't forget someone once I've met them." And that was all he was going to say on the subject.

"Oh." She said rather lamely. Although she was trying not to show it, she was obviously exhausted and her shirt was almost soaked with sweat. How long had she been out here? Hours? It seemed that she was used to such a grueling routine for while she was exhausted she wasn't dying or struggling to hold herself together.

"So?" he snapped, annoyed. "Are you going to answer my question? I'm not going to repeat myself."

The girl actually jumped and began stammering before she regained control of herself "They…they're on a mission."

_Why do I even care?_ "Why don't you train with anyone else?"

She looked taken aback by his question and he wasn't entirely sure why he had bothered to ask. He really _didn't_ care one way or the other.

"Um, Neji-niisan trains with his team a-and s-so…and I don't wa-want to bother anyone…"

Was this girl serious? Highly irritated with her for some reason he struck out, his fist aiming for her temple. She blocked it, barely, and staggered back, her eyes so wide they looked completely white, which was a little unnerving.

"U-Uchiha-san?" the question was tentative and he lashed out at her again, aiming for her stomach. Once again she blocked, barely, but didn't strike back. The girl was obviously very confused and unsure of what to do.

He was just annoyed with her, he didn't know why. Sasuke continued to strike out at her, putting her on the defensive. He was going very slowly, at a level where he wouldn't accidently cave her skull in. He did land a few punches and at one point he slammed his foot into her abdomen, sending her flying into a nearby tree. She landed on her knees, her arms hugging her stomach, coughing.

"So I guess you're only good when you're hitting a log, huh?" He bit out; glaring down at her while she tried to regain her breath. _Pathetic. I wasn't even trying._

He conveniently dismissed the fact that she had probably been training for hours on end and had been very exhausted already so more than likely that had a lot to do with her lack of speed and defense. None of that would matter anyway in a real battle. Either you sparred to win or you don't spar at all. He also conveniently dismissed the fact that he had forced her into sparring with him. He was really good at dismissing things that didn't matter to him so that he could be right.

Sasuke had expected her to attack him, thinking that he probably thought she was completely helpless. When she continued to sway and her breath continued to stagger he briefly wondered if he had kicked her too hard. That would be annoying, because then he would have to explain to Tsunade why he had almost killed one of her precious shinobi because he couldn't hold back his strength. That wasn't even counting the fact that he'd have to _carry_ her to the hospital. Annoying.

When he shifted to kneel down, that was when she struck. He actually had to give her some credit for being sneaky and underhanded; the girl looked too innocent to be capable of such a thing. Unfortunately, she was going against one of the fastest shinobi in the land. He snapped her wrists into his hands, wrenched her forward and slammed her face first into the grass, pinning her arms behind her in one smooth motion.

"Nice try." He said, somewhat amused. "But you're too slow."

He felt it then, her chakra shifting to her bound wrists. Whipping out a kunai he had grabbed earlier from his locker he kept her wrists pinned with one hand and the other moved to her neck, digging in just enough to draw blood.

"Nice try." He said again. Leaning forward, he hovered his lips above her ear "When do they come back?" he asked, voice low.

She shuddered underneath him; he felt a savage sense of joy at the prospect of her being afraid of him. Ever since that first day those few weeks ago he had been highly bothered and annoyed by her words, a little payback was in order.

"N-next we-week." It came out as a whisper.

"Be out here at seven tomorrow," he instructed "And _don't_ make me come find you because you decided to bitch out. I'll just find you and drag you by your hair out here."

He 'disappeared', or rather, he merely left the area with such speed that she couldn't track him. Sasuke did notice with mild pleasure that she was obviously shaken up as he left.

It wasn't like he had anything else to do for the rest of the week, might as well use it to terrorize someone. The Hyuuga was just too easy with her soft looks and gentle nature. It was almost like kicking a puppy, except he held no qualms about kicking one if it got in his way. He was a bastard like that.

If he had to be stuck in this fucking village with these people that he couldn't _stand_, someone was going to suffer with him. This week it would be Hyuuga Hinata.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three **

xxxxx

He could not help but smile when the cold steel of his fiance's blade kissed his neck. It was his own fault really, he should have known better than to try and wake up a weapons master by surprising her. Pale eyes looked down with amusement at the woman beneath him as her face turned several shades of red.

Unsurprisingly, she kicked him off her bed. Of course, Neji being Neji gracefully landed on his feet, still smirking.

"Good morning to you too." He remarked dryly, his hand moving over the small cut he had foolishly earned "And yes, I disabled _all_ of your traps." The Hyuuga's smile widened and he skillfully dodged a pillow.

Clad in only a long button up shirt, Tenten got out of bed – kunai in hand, he noted – stalking over to him, her brown eyes glittering dangerously. He wasn't entirely sure if he was simply a man who enjoyed danger or pain, or perhaps it was simply the fact that he enjoyed his fiancé in whatever mood she happened to be in. Dangerous was among one of his favorites.

He never would have been able to fall for a meek girl, despite what girls thought about his tastes.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't gut you right now Hyuuga," she growled. "How many times have I _asked_ you to –"

With one step he pulls her against his body, cutting her off as his lips slant over hers. She lets out a small noise when his arms wrap tightly around her body as he kisses her passionately. They stand like that for a long moment before he pulls away, both of them breathless.

"I've been accepted into ANBU." He whispers against her lips. There is a gasp of surprise and she wraps her arms around his neck.

"Neji," she breathed against his neck "I'm so happy for you." It is sincere and heartfelt, but he hears it, the small note in her voice.

She is also afraid.

It was no secret that ANBU was a very high risk position, those selected could decline, many did. ANBU did not always live long, their missions involved extremely dangerous situations and the group was not particularly large. The position is one that he has wanted for quite some time, not for the power or for prestige; Neji is beyond such trivial things. He does it because they make a difference; they are the shadows who keep the village safe. He wants to be that shadow, he isn't interested in standing out in the light; not anymore. He knows he is skilled, he knows he could contribute much. Logically, he is an excellent choice given his skills and abilities. Neji told her of his intentions before they became romantically involved and she had understood then. That was her nature, she was quiet, the backbone of the group. She accepted her team mate's eccentricities and loved them for it. They had been together for so long that she knew how important the position was to him and how if she wanted to be with him she would have to accept that part. So she did, and so they are together.

He does not blame her for her fears, they are not unfounded. It tells him that she truly does love him; it tells him that no matter what, she would stay strong for him. So he will ensure that he continues to come back home to her, that he does love her and that he appreciates her. No other woman would have delved into a relationship with a man who was trying to acquire a position where the chances of dying were high. Even Tenten had asked him to let her think about it and he had to admit that had been the longest two weeks of his life. He wondered what he would have done if she had denied him.

_I probably wouldn't have joined._ He realizes with a mental smile. Yes, he truly did love this woman.

So he kisses her again, he tells her of his promises to himself, he gently brushes away her tears when she finally lets go. In the end, she is still there, still by his side, and he wonders how in the hell had he almost let her slip through his fingers two years ago. Ah, right. Pride. Fear of rejection. Perhaps even ego.

He pulls her back into her bed and she does not resist. He pulls her close to him and holds her, something he has been dreaming of doing ever since the first night he had left for his three week mission. It is only when he finds himself dozing off that she shifts in his arms, a slightly alarmed expression on her face. He blinked at her for a moment and then raises an eyebrow in inquiry.

"Um," she begins, looking distressed, as if she wasn't entirely sure how to express herself "Uchiha Sasuke has been training with your cousin for the past three weeks now."

Surely he must have misheard that. "Excuse me?"

xxxxx

Hinata didn't know if she hated her new training partner for being a complete and total dick or love the fact that she was improving dramatically under the constant beatings he continued to give her. What had possessed the Uchiha to target her she had absolutely no idea but ever since that night when he had watched her as she trained he had been merciless concerning sparring with her. At first she had been fairly sure that he was just trying to use her as a punching bag and had come home sporting the bruises to prove it. Even when Kiba and Shino had returned from their missions he had demanded she continue sparring with him, or else. Not wanting to know what 'or else' meant, she found herself driven to complete exhaustion on a daily basis, for not only was she sparring with Uchiha Sasuke, she was training with Shino and Kiba as well.

After the first week it became less of a beating and more of a lesson. Well, a lesson within a beating. When he hit her he would tell her why and what she should have done, when her strike was ineffective he would, painfully, show her how she had messed up. He _constantly_ complained about how she was too slow and that her attacks weren't 'strong enough'.

_I use the Gentle Fist,_ she would protest mentally _It's not meant to be physically strong!_

She had said that once and only once as he, somehow, managed to strike her in various places using the lightest of touches yet the blow had felt as powerful as a full out punch. When she had looked at him in astonishment he merely remarked "Not strong enough." And attacked her again.

It didn't take long for her team mates to notice how completely exhausted she would be by the time it was time for them to train, or how her face looked more yellow than a pearly white. Her sleeping habits had turned into crap, she found herself becoming an insomniac. Then again, whenever she did sleep she would dream of Uchiha Sasuke, Sharingan active, brutally murdering her in various manners and methods.

In short, she was burning out.

Unfortunately, he didn't seem to give a damn. In fact, he never asked her if she was all right after a particularly hard hit, he never showed any sort of concern for her at all. If she was sluggish from lack of sleep he would become angry with her and that would only make things worse. She couldn't refuse training, he had made it very clear if she did _not_ show that he would find her, hurt her, and then drag her out to spar anyway.

So at eight thirty in the morning when she had been too slow to block a kick to her temple, she was quite happy to surrender herself into oblivion. Thankfully, she did not dream.

When she opened her eyes again she found herself staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling. There was a distinctively male smell to the room, although it wasn't at all unpleasant and in fact smelled rather nice. Like a strange sort of musk or cologne. The Hyuuga blinked a few times in an attempt to reorient herself as the world spun for a moment and then pain erupted from the side of her head. Tentatively, she raised a hand to see if she had a bump or not. Before she could something snatched her by the wrist.

"Don't touch it." The voice was definitely that of her tormentor for the past few weeks, Uchiha Sasuke. He had a rather distinctive deep voice that was probably the reason all the girls had fallen for him years ago.

All it really did was get on her nerves.

Silence fell but she did not try to touch her throbbing temple. She also didn't move her head to face him, because she really didn't _want_ to look at him. The urge to cry was powerful, lack of sleep and the constant pain she was being put through was beginning to make her rather delirious and panicky. In her effort not to cry she felt her chest tighten and suddenly it was becoming more and more difficult to breathe.

She felt herself being pulled up by the shoulders but she couldn't stop hyperventilating. The tears came anyway, because three weeks of this was just too much for her and she couldn't do it anymore.

"Hyuuga!" the voice was sharp, low, commanding "Calm down. You need to breathe."

His voice…sounded so warm. Was that even possible for a person like him? Uchiha Sasuke, the man who had taken his own brother's eyes so he could kill the man she had loved since childhood, the man who succeeded in killing him at the cost of his own life. Karin had once said that his chakra was cold, unfeeling and incredibly dark.

Yet she could feel a strong hand moving up and down her back soothingly and his voice, low and warm, against her ear as he continued to softly command that she continue to breathe. His other hand was holding her up somehow and he did not let her go immediately once her gasps for air evened out. She did not protest when he gently laid her back down and when her pale gaze flickered to his black one she found, unsurprisingly, that his gaze was cold and unfeeling.

"You never mentioned you were still training with your team mates, as well as taking on missions." His tone was flat but also held a tone of contempt. She continued to stare at him as if she couldn't see him, and a part of her couldn't. It was as if she had taken a back seat inside of her own body, looking at the world from within. She did not shift her gaze, he didn't look away either.

She eventually had to blink and when she did all she could see was his back "You can stay here tonight, but I want you gone by morning." And he closed the door.

xxxxx

It was too easy to dodge attacks from an angry Hyuuga and he didn't even try to hide the smirk on his face as he skillfully moved away from each and every attack, knowing that he was purposefully trying to hit a vital spot on his body.

"Sorry, Hyuuga," he remarked coldly "I'm not going to stand still while you try to destroy my heart. We all know what happened the last time you did that."

It was a low blow and he knew it. He also didn't care. It was the idiot's own fault for trying to attack him in the first place. So what if his cousin had come back beaten up? What did he think would happen to her on a mission? Were they just giving her kiddy shit or something and that's why he was freaking out?

Pain and regret flashed through eyes identical yet so different from the girl's. It was quickly replaced by anger and Sasuke actually found himself staggering back from the unexpected blow to the shoulder.

_Okay, that hurt._ He thought. This was his first time against a real Gentle Fist user, the girl didn't count since she was obviously so pathetically weak. He even tried to show her how to correct herself. Her form was fine, her defense was outstanding, she was just. Too. Slow.

"Why are you targeting Hinata-sama?" the Hyuuga snapped. Despite the fact that the older man was angry, his face still showed an alarming amount of calm "Is Naruto so out of your league now that you have to pick on girls?"

There was a heavy thud and both men stood perfectly still. The older man coughed up blood first, very aware of the fist that Sasuke had slammed into his gut with enough force to break a few ribs. Then he coughed, Neji's hand resting against his stomach revealing that he had also gotten his own strike in. Both men pulled away from each other, gasping and holding their abdomen.

"Stay away from Hinata-sama." The Hyuuga warned.

"No." The answer had emerged before he had even thought about it.

Neji was also confused by the cold statement "Why?" it also seemed as if he had spoken without truly thinking.

_I don't know._ The Uchiha answered to himself. Why _was_ he so hell bent on beating on her? She wasn't a challenge although she was improving more than he had expected, she was a girl who ended up having a panic attack, really pathetic in his opinion. There was nothing really good about her, she was just as annoying as any other female he had ever encountered, although he refused to acknowledge the fact that he had actually never spent any _real _time with the heiress so he truthfully didn't know.

"She annoys me." Which was the truth. He didn't know why, but whenever he looked at her he became irritated, yet he continued to want her around. Maybe it had to do with the fact that she came from a powerful clan like him, except she had _everything_ and he had _nothing_ but haunted memories and failed expectations. Maybe it had to do with the things she had said to him that first day, all that bullshit about family and people caring about him. Maybe it had to do with the fact that for some fucking reason she reminded him of Itachi and it just _pissed him off_. His brother wanted him to live, she had reinforced it with her words. Whenever he looked at her, he would wonder, _What if it had been her? What would she have done? Would she have listened to Itachi?_

The fact that he knew the answer was what made him hate her the most. And he did, he _hated_ her and everything she stood for and represented. He especially hated her because she would have been the good little sibling who would have listened and tried to honor her dying brother's wishes instead of allowing herself to delve into the realm of insanity. She wouldn't have allowed Madara to manipulate her, because she was too kind and forgiving, even if she had to do something she truly didn't want to do. She thought about everyone but herself, she took care of everyone but herself. Just like Itachi.

He fucking hated her and he absolutely refused to admit the real, the deep down reason why. Uchiha Sasuke refused to believe that she was _stronger_ than him because of it. That tiny little female who was too much like _him_. She even had a younger sister, one she obviously loved, one that he knew she would do anything for, even kill, because that's what older siblings did_._ They protected their younger siblings from the brunt of the pain, from the true horrors of life, protected them from the horrors and pressures of their clan because they came first. He knew that if she had been at Itachi's level, if she had been presented with the same choices, she would have done everything exactly as he had. She would have sacrificed everything for her little sister, to make sure she had a better life than her. It was so incredibly selfless and disgusting.

Looking at her reminded him of the truth he had been forced to face, it made him _regret_ and that's what he hated most of all.

"Just fuck off Hyuuga." He eventually snarled at him "I have enough people trying to tell me what to do." More than likely he would either need to call Sakura or go to the hospital, the Hyuuga hadn't been holding back and he felt like complete shit at the moment. "It's not like I tried to kill her."

Neji took a step forward "No, you just beat the shit out of her." Sasuke would have smiled at the other's usage of explicitaves since it sounded rather strange coming from someone as pompous sounding as Hyuuga Neji, but he wasn't in a good mood. "Have you even noticed the fact that she's been sporting serious injuries or that she's lost weight or even that she hasn't been sleeping?"

"No." he lied. He had noticed, he just hadn't given a shit "And I don't care." Truth.

"If you come near her again," he hissed "I'll kill you."

This time Sasuke did smirk "Hyuuga, you couldn't _honestly_ kill me even if you wanted to. I'm way out of _your_ league, even without my Sharingan."

xxxxx

She might as well have slapped her foot on the table and pull as hard as she could with the savage way she was bandaging him. He refused, _refused_ to show any sort of outward emotion or care. So what if Sakura and Hinata were friends? So what if he had been rough with her? She was a kunoichi wasn't she? She should be able to handle it.

"I ought to crush your sternum, not heal you." The pink haired girl growled at him and he had to admit he was somewhat surprised at her hostility towards him. Times did change it seemed. "I can't believe what you've been doing to poor Hinata-chan! You could have asked me or even Naruto to spar with you and you've refused his offers for weeks!"

The Uchiha shrugged "I don't want to fight the idiot." He conveniently ignored the fact that he sounded like a petulant child. "And I've never fought anyone with the Byakugan before. She was good practice."

He was surprised, once again, when her fist connected with his temple and he blacked out.

xxxxx

"Why am I looking at your face Uchiha? Why the hell are you in the hospital, _again_, because of your own stupidity?"

Turning his head to the side he pointedly refused to look at Tsunade "Sakura hit me, not the other way around."

"She should have crushed in your skull."

"That would make my life a lot easier." He snapped back "Unless you're going to try and revive me _again_, then I'd say don't fucking bother."

There was a tense silence. He could feel the Hokage's sharp gaze on him and he didn't care. No, he wasn't going to thank them for saving his life, he hadn't wanted them to do it in the first place and yes, he'd be more than happy to go back to his life of oblivion if it meant getting away from them. He refused to be kind, gentle, or cooperative. He couldn't kill anyone so he was settling for destroying people verbally. He would be hurtful and rude and overall just fucked up because he hated everyone and couldn't do anything about it.

"I'm giving you a new mission." She declared. This time he did turn to her, because the tone of voice and the hidden implication that he was going to really hate whatever it was she was about to make him do was there. When he didn't respond she continued "You are to guard, care, and protect Hyuuga Hinata until your first trial is over. Whatever missions she's on, you will go on and protect her. While not on missions you are to ensure that she is healthy and, most importantly, happy."

"No." he didn't even hesitate.

"This isn't an _option_ Uchiha!" she yelled at him, almost ready to throw his chart at him.

"Just send me to prison." He said, sounding bored "It'll be much better than trying to babysit a kunoichi who should be more than fucking capable of handing herself."

There was a small pause "There are worse things than prison, Uchiha Sasuke." It was said low and with a clear promise. "Is it really worth it when the job is, obviously, so _easy_ for someone like you?"

He didn't respond to her immediately. Sasuke had no doubt that she would make good on her threat, was it really worth it for that girl?

"Don't blame me if I accidently kill her or something because she's completely useless." He muttered darkly.

xxxxx

There are many expressions Sasuke has seen on a female in regards to him. Lust, desire, happiness, a fake sense of love, swoony, whatever. He can count on one hand how many females he's seen look at him in complete horror and Hinata makes number three.

Only, she took it a step above and beyond. Not _only_ did she look at Tsunade in horror, she looked at _him_ as if he had the bubonic plague and just a mere glance from him would cause her to drop dead immediately.

If only. He would have killed_ sooo_ many people here by now if he could just glare them to death. Or use Amataresu, whichever came first. There was something about lighting people up with black fire that held a certain appeal to him at times.

In any case, he actually felt…annoyed. For some reason he was reminded of a day in the academy when Iruka had forced them all to pair up and when he had been paired with the Hyuuga she had given him that same look, as if she couldn't stand the mere sight of his presence.

"Stop. Staring." He growled at her and her gaze immediately sought the Hokage's, pleading with her to change her mind.

"He doesn't have to guard you twenty four seven Hinata," Tsunade explained "Just during the day while you're out and about and on missions. It's an appropriate punishment; I've heard how Sasuke's been treating you so now he has to take care of you. If anything, you should be taking advantage of this."

He mentally rolled his eyes. Obviously the Hokage didn't know the simpering little girl that well. Just to fuck with her, he looked over at Hinata and smiled. "Just so we make it clear," he said lightly "I'm _not_ having sex with you."

He actually chuckled when she fainted.

xxxxx

"Dude, why is _he_ here?" Kiba rudely asked.

Shino adjusted his shades and regarded the fallen Uchiha "If I were to guess, it probably has something to do with his treatment of Hinata."

Dark eyes shifted over towards the bug user and Hinata fidgeted nervously. She really, really, really, really, really hated this. She didn't understand what had possessed Tsunade-sama to send _that guy_ over as her guardian because it was only going to get worse before it got better.

He didn't even try to hide it, Uchiha Sasuke _hated_ her. She had no idea why or when but everything about him in regards to her screamed contempt and downright hatred. If anything, he would probably do little painful things to her, knowing that she wouldn't report him as she should.

_And why not?_

She didn't know. Even though he hated her, whenever she looked at him and he wasn't looking at her or –gods forbid -speaking to her he looked so…lost. He looked lost and torn, as if he was struggling just to keep his head above water. There was so much pain behind those dark depths of his that she simply couldn't hate him, even though she knew the feeling was not returned.

"I'm stuck baby-sitting your pathetic teammate for six months to a year because she's completely _worthless_." Her tormentor said flatly, looking off into the distance as if he were bored. He probably was.

Shino held Kiba back from launching at the Uchiha in unbridled rage "Watch what you say about Hinata, you asshole! She's a better shinobi than _you'll ever be._"

No one saw him move. One minute he was sitting on a fallen log with a bored expression, the next he was directly in Kiba's face, kunai at his throat.

"Say that again." It was said low and deadly. Even without his Sharingan he looked frightening. "I _dare_ you."

When Shino placed a restraining hand on the Uchiha's arm that gaze snapped at him "Why are you touching me?" he looked at Shino as if the bug user had completely lost his mind and he had to restrain the urge to lash back violently. He did not like people touching him. At all.

That was it. He was unstable, unpredictable, and very, very dangerous. All of this hostility was over _her_ and she couldn't take it anymore. Hinata put every ounce of speed she possessed to close the distance and struck. She hadn't expected to make a hit, but when every single one of her blows struck the obviously surprised Uchiha she found that she couldn't stop. When he staggered back she actually closed her fist and struck him. Before she could start wailing on him she felt strong arms grab her arms and pull her back. When she tried to jerk free the arms encircled her and pulled her close.

"Calm down." Shino "You will regret it if you do any more damage."

The heiress was shaking. She wasn't crying, refused to cry, but she was shaking with…rage. When was the last time she had been angry? She couldn't think of any. Her friend continued to hold her until she eventually calmed down. By then the Uchiha was sitting up, propped up against a tree.

Slowly, her eyes lifted up to face his dark gaze. He looked as if he were in an extreme amount of pain, which he probably was since almost all of his chakra points had been forcibly closed. He was looking at her, however, and she surmised that he had probably been glaring at her the entire time. After a moment of staring, he suddenly smirked and leaned back.

"It's about time you got it right." He closed his eyes.

Suddenly, she realized what he was talking about and for some sick, twisted reason, she began to laugh.

xxxxx

Despite the things he would hear the clan elders say about their heir, Hyuuga Hinata held a much greater command of the Byakugan than she was given credit for.

For one, her range was ridiculous. She could actually see kilometers ahead with her exceptional vision, something she had trained herself in as part of a tracker nin squad. Front, behind, it didn't matter where you placed her, she could see it all.

Secondly, her knowledge of chakra points was also exceptional. None of her blows were wasted when they connected; her movements were fluid, as if she were dancing instead of stopping an enemy's heart with the palm of her hand. He had to admit, when she was fighting other people _besides_ him she actually looked as if she was good.

As her protector he had stayed within the shadows, he worked better in the dark. The mission had been classified as a B rank mission which was sometimes code for 'These guys totally screwed us and it should have been an A-rank mission but we're apparently dealing with idiots'. This was one of those missions.

Her team had been instructed to track down and search for the daughter of a powerful diplomat who had been kidnapped over a week ago. They had been given very little, a handkerchief, and the two canine idiots were off, leading the group. Hinata was lookout and scout and because Sasuke had no choice but to go they had assigned no other shinobi. He was to be the brawn, apparently.

Thankfully, they had given him partial use of his Sharingan, something he would need outside of the village if he was going to protect the princess. His hand traced over the bandages wrapped around his forehead, covering the cursed seal. Now he knew how the Hyuuga felt. It was not an enjoyable experience.

Back to the idiot diplomat. Now, a mission like this was a B rank simply because of the man's position. He had also mentioned that she had been kidnapped by some 'common thugs' who were trying to ransom her.

Twenty fucking ninjas did not a common thug make. Sasuke was sorely tempted to kill the little bitch just to spite the man for completely _fucking_ his team. If it hadn't been for Hinata looking out and his Sharingan active, they would have been dead. They weren't even common ninja, these were chunnin and jounin level shinobi they were fighting.

"I'm going to _kill_ that Uzu guy for this!" snarled the Inuzuka as he motioned to his mutt "C'mon Akamaru, let's do this."

Grateful that at least someone was going to be on his side when he obliterated the lying sack of shit known as their client he completely missed the fact that Hinata had said, quite plainly, twenty shinobi. Kiba was currently fighting five, he had been fighting five. That meant ten of them were…

He let out a rather unkind word as he shot forward, knowing that the idiot couldn't take on ten shinobi of these guy's caliber for long by herself. He had to admit that he was rather proud of her for taking out at least five of them before she had been stabbed in the shoulder with a kunai and barely dodged a barrage of shuriken, slicing her in various places.

But it was ten against one and these guys weren't pushovers. They pinned her back against a tree and she was already injured.

He wasn't going to make it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

xxxxx

Byakugan stared at Sharingan and Hinata's eyes widened exponentially, the tomoe within those crimson depths spinning angrily. With a growl that could hardly be considered human, Uchiha Sasuke pushed himself off the tree that Hinata had been pinned against, obviously ignoring the kunai and shuriken embedded in his back.

It was over in _seconds_. In less than thirty seconds the fallen avenger brutally and efficiently killed the remaining five shinobi without so much as breaking a sweat. Sweat dripped down her brow but she refused to deactivate the Byakugan, she had to make sure they were all clear.

"Shit!" she heard Kiba as he rejoined his team "Doesn't that _hurt_?"

"No, Inuzuka, it fucking tickles. I'm about to start giggling right now." Hinata heard the Uchiha snarl, still obviously angry "Do you mind? I can only reach so far, idiot."

Words were lost to her but she heard the grunts from the, now, black eyed teenager as her team mate and friend pulled out the sharp objects that had been meant for her. Her right arm and left shoulder hurt the most, but she sported quite a few wounds all over her body. Both major wounds were bleeding profusely and she was trying to use the little bit of healing arts she knew to try and stop the blood.

The grunting stopped. Still in a slight haze, she looked up weakly and there he was, his black gaze boring into hers. His eyes narrowed "You've lost a lot of blood." He observed.

"I…I'm sor -"

"Shut the hell up." She blinked at him curiously, confused by his outburst "I'm tired of hearing apologies from you." He elaborated. Fully kneeling, she numbly watched as his hand moved over the gaping wound in her shoulder, a soft green light emerging.

"You're a medic?" Kiba asked, Akamaru made his own curious sound.

"No." the Uchiha said. "Like Hyuuga here, I know the basics. That's it. Either we find a hotel, hole her up in it and find a healer or we quit the mission and head back. Either way, she's lost too much blood to continue."

She was sure she was just as surprised as Kiba had been. He had said it the same way he said everything, flatly, but it was almost as if he had…

_I'm a job._ She reminded herself _He's doing this because if he doesn't, they'll do something terrible to him, so of course he's concerned. Two months isn't going to change that._

The glow stopped and she continued to watch as he ripped open a sleeve of his shirt and begin to hastily wrap the larger wounds. When he was finished he looked up at Kiba "Find the girl." Without another word he dipped down and then she was in his arms, ignoring her gasps and small protests as he walked in the other direction towards the nearest town.

xxxxx

Her wounds weren't life-threatening and the town luckily had a healer who had recommended that the princess rest and eat for at least two to three days before trying to move around again. Of course, the Hyuuga hadn't been conscious for any of this, he had dumped the girl into a hotel room and grabbed the healer, bringing her back to the hotel. The middle aged woman did what she could, took a look at his wounds, gave him the instructions and left after he paid her pretty much all of his savings for the month. So much for food.

The Hyuuga's normally pale skin was even more so, making her look as if she were dead. Even the small bit of color on her lips matched the alabaster complexion. Her large eyes were closed, but she was frowning, as if suffering from a nightmare. Well, he could relate to that at least.

He had almost failed his mission. It wasn't that he cared whether or not the Hyuuga lived, but her dying meant that he _failed_ and he was anything but a failure. He would wait for Kiba to return and then he would go and get the girl himself, leaving the two mutts on guard duty.

Why had the diplomat lied about the severity of the mission? There was a very huge difference between common thugs and well trained shinobi and Sasuke didn't think for a second that the man hadn't known the truth. Now, what a bunch of rouge ninja would want with that girl he had no idea, but she was pretty fucking important to hire twenty shinobi to take out anyone who tried to attempt a rescue.

His black gaze slid back over to the pale woman lying on the bed, her breathing low and even, a frown creasing her brow. He had been sloppy although he thought it strange for all _ten_ of them to go specifically after Hinata. While he was sure the excuse that they wanted to get rid of the weakest link first could be used, it didn't make sense. _Ten_ of them? If she was so weak, why had all ten of them felt the need to attack her at the same time? Why had they ignored the two males who were obviously the ones they had really needed to watch for? He wasn't Shikamaru, but he wasn't stupid either; something was going on and someone was a fucking _liar_.

The princess stirred then, driving him out of his thoughts. Whatever nightmare she had been experiencing had become worse, for she was actually starting to shift around uncomfortably.

"U-uncle…" the name sounded more like a sob and sure enough, tears began to flow down her cheeks "I'm so…I'm so sorry…it's my fault…"

She was babbling, so he brushed her bangs back with a hand and leaned down. "Hyuuga."

Her moaning and babbling paused. He continued "Stop dreaming about stupid shit and get some real rest. I don't want to hear your whining."

The frown turned into an almost scowl, which looked rather comical on a face like hers. Then the little princess said something that threw him completely off balance.

"Leave me alone, you asshole. You're mean."

He almost throttled her. Clearly she wasn't asleep, was she? The girl didn't say anything else after that, but she also eventually stopped frowning. So she talked in her sleep. And she lightly snored. How, incredibly, annoyingly, _normal_. Then again, Itachi had also snored, but only when he actually felt completely safe, which had been rarely. The two times he had ever heard Itachi snore had both been while he had snuck into his brother's room at a very young age because he had had a bad dream and he knew father wouldn't allow mother to let him sleep with her. He only remembered it because it seemed so unnatural that he hadn't been able to fall asleep.

Why did he always think of his brother when he looked at her?

The Uchiha wasn't even sure if he was annoyed by it or not anymore. At first it had really pissed him off, to the point where he had wanted to physically harm her. Three months had gone by since then, two of them he had spent protecting the shy idiot. He still didn't like her at all but he also didn't hate her, that much he could admit to himself. Perhaps others had noticed, for Sakura had suddenly started speaking to him again and Naruto stopped by his apartment more than usual to be an annoying shit. While Inuzuka was still outwardly hostile towards him, the Aburame seemed to had accepted the fact that they were stuck with each other whether they liked it or not.

Her presence was tolerable. When the fan-girls gathered their courage and came to harass them he hid out at the Hyuuga estate, using the whole bodyguard thing as an excuse. If the princess was out and the fan-girls came 'a calling he'd drag her to his apartment since he couldn't leave her behind, and force her to stick around until the girls got bored and left him alone. Of course, she'd giggle and comment about his attempts to avoid females like the plague yet held no qualms about abusing others. She never outright said it, but it was pretty much in there that she was referring to herself.

He'd just ignore her or make her cook him something. Sasuke actually knew how to cook, he had learned when he had first lived out on his own, but once he found out that Hinata was an outstanding at it he forced her to cook for him whenever he could. She made outstanding onigiri.

The urge to hurt her had also faded, replaced with a sort of numb feeling. He no longer hated her and he no longer wanted to hurt her, but he didn't really like her or want her around. He was forced to see her _everyday_ and it really grated on him at times. Not that she ever asked him to do anything for her, in fact, many times _he_ had to push her out of the way because she was so determined to break her damn neck for something really stupid. She was incredibly stubborn for a woman who barely spoke above a whisper and allowed herself to be pushed around. When she wanted to do something she did it and your opinion or views on the subject would be acknowledged after the fact. That had been rather infuriating during the first few missions he had been forced to tag along with her in and he had put a quick stop to that nonsense. At least as far as missions went.

She trained to the point of exhaustion and then she'd get back up and do it again. The girl probably had more calluses on her hand than any kunoichi in the village save for Tenten. Unlike other girls, she didn't care about her appearance or trying to dress to impress. She wore a hot ass jacket and long pants. He was all but positive she did it to hide her figure. Her self-esteem was shit, just like before, and just like before it kept her from really letting loose. If she could stop thinking herself as a failure she'd be a decent kunoichi.

Not that her family helped any. He remembered how his father had barely acknowledged him because he had been so devoted to Itachi and how that had felt. However, his father never called him a failure or constantly tried to make him feel inferior like some of her 'main branch' family members did. It didn't come from her father although he suspected at one point he had been right along with the assholes destroying the very girl they were trying to force to become a stronger person.

_Why do I care?_

Another question he had been asking himself as of late. He also realized that his hand was still resting along her forehead, his thumb moving along her brow. He snatched his hand back as if burned but she didn't move, didn't say a word.

Two months and he was already going soft?

Whenever he was around her he felt as if he _had_ to protect her, because she looked so delicate and fragile. Her team mates also did it, although Aburame was more discreet about it and always encouraged Hinata to do whatever she felt like doing. He hated feeling that way, like he absolutely had to protect her, because even though he did, he didn't. After his punishment was over he'd never glance in her direction again. She was too soft spoken, she saw _way_ too much for his liking. Those pale eyes of hers that seemed to see through him instead of at him, it was very disconcerting.

Thankfully the Inuzuka returned, explaining the situation. There were about ten shinobi spread out around a shack a mile or so west and the girl's scent was strong.

He was strong with his level of Sharingan, but he wasn't invincible and he was sure all ten of those shinobi were highly skilled, probably jounin level if not higher. He'd also be walking straight into a trap if he went alone. With Hinata, they would have been able to spot any traps but the bastards had gone out of their way to…

"Cripple us." He said out loud, blinking. They had _known_ about the Byakugan, that's why they had gone after Hinata with so many men. How could they have known such a thing? The only way they could have known was if someone on the inside had told them.

But why? Why go through such an elaborate set up? None of it made any sense. Did that mean that the girl wasn't really a victim but willing bait?

Someone inside had known about the Byakugan, had known about the shinobi Konoha held and deployed depending on the requirements of the mission. It was too carefully laid out for it to be a coincidence. Someone had arranged for them to walk into a trap.

When he told the Inuzuka what he thought, he realized the idiot wasn't as much of an idiot as he had believed.

"Maybe they want your head." He had said and suddenly it all made sense.

xxxxx

The two members of the former team seven sat at Naruto's favorite place, Ichiraku Ramen. The blonde was on his fourth bowl and Sakura was slowly picking at her first. Naruto being Naruto hadn't noticed it at first, he had been too hungry. Now that he was somewhat halfway full he glanced over to his friend and his face fell.

"Sakura-chan?" it was hesitant, as if he was afraid to break her.

She must have noticed, for the smile she sent him was bittersweet "I was just thinking…about Sasuke-kun."

"You're always thinking about that bastard, Sakura-chan!" he had said it as a joke and had even started laughing until he looked at her face again and noticed she was almost scowling. Worried, he slowly reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. Surprisingly, she didn't flinch away or scream at him, but the look she gave him spoke volumes.

"He really is different."

Leaning back slightly, Naruto sighed a bit, closing his eyes which gave him a fox-like expression "We're all different, even I'm different." Once again he tried to keep the air light, because he had a good idea of what Sakura was thinking and he didn't want it to happen.

_Don't give up on him Sakura-chan, you finally got him back right?_

"You're right…" jade eyes lifted to glance at blue before she hastily looked away. "I'm just worried…I'm worried that he'll never stop hating us. And he's so…hostile. I mean, look at what he did to Hinata-chan!"

The light expression Naruto held fell at mention of Hinata. He had to admit, he knew Sasuke pretty well, to a point where they didn't even have to exchange words, looks were enough. They spoke through sparring, through fighting. His friend's reaction to Hinata, however, had been completely unexpected. Sasuke had never even spoken to Hinata until his return yet he had singled her out and had tormented her for three weeks straight until she had finally had a panic attack. It wasn't normal Sasuke meanness; he had been trying to hurt her as much as possible without killing her. He'd seen it in his eyes then, that day when Neji had attacked him, Uchiha Sasuke _hated_ Hyuuga Hinata. Naruto didn't know why and a few days later, he realized that Sasuke didn't know either. Or rather, if he did know he was refusing to admit it to himself.

It had left him torn. Hinata was one of his very dear friends, one of his best friends actually. She was gentle and sweet and while she had been a little creepy when they had been kids she was actually kind of cute now. She wasn't Sakura, but she held a special place in his heart all the same. Sasuke was like a brother to him, someone he also cared for deeply. At first Naruto had been angry, why the hell was Sasuke picking on poor Hinata-chan like that? After he sparred with him – or rather the two of them beat the hell out of each other because Naruto had been pissed and so Sasuke had been pissed – the blonde couldn't tell what the hell Sasuke was feeling when it came to the heiress.

His friend was lost, completely lost and without a purpose that he would accept. The future Hokage guessed that Sasuke's lashing out at Hinata had something to do with how parallel they were life-wise, but he really couldn't tell. His friend's feelings were all over the damn place and Sasuke didn't seem to know where he began and where he ended.

"Sakura-chan," he began slowly, unsure of how he wanted to word himself around her. Sasuke was a very sensitive subject since he was the guy she had loved since they were children. A lot of it had to do with the fact that Sakura supposedly wasn't in love with Sasuke anymore. He only knew this because Sakura had confessed it to him.

"_I loved who he was…before."_ She had said _"This person…it's Sasuke-kun but…I can't love him l-like that. I can't love what he's become."_

Still, it was hard to look at the person you had loved with all of your heart to realize that not only are they out of your reach but your hand was never close enough to touch them in the first place.

Naruto understood this from personal experience.

"Sakura-chan," he began again, knowing he had her full attention "Sasuke doesn't hate us." He confessed. It was true for the most part, Sasuke _didn't_ hate them, he just didn't want anything to do with them. Living here, dealing with his past, it was a constant torment for his friend. Until he settled down his feelings and tried to live, he wouldn't be able to get close to anyone, much less love someone.

His friend didn't even look hopeful "Then why does he treat us like we're…." she took a deep breath and he turned his head away, not wanting to see her cry.

_You still love Sasuke._ He observed. _You're still hoping, just like I am._

"Besides the times he spent with us, all Sasuke's known is pain, anger, and hatred. You can't just shrug that sort of thing off. He's uh, he's in-between. He's not dark, he's not light, he's in the middle trying to find out where he belongs." He sighed "It's not easy and he has a lot of pride."

He almost jumped out of his chair when Sakura placed a hand on his arm. She looked sad still, yet when their eyes met he saw…something.

"You really have grown up, Naruto." She turned to her lukewarm bowl of ramen "That…that really helped, thank you."

That earned her his patented Uzumaki grin "That's what friends are for!"

xxxxx

When she opened her eyes it was dark. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust and although she was sure she had been sleeping for a while; her body still felt heavy and lethargic.

"Bout time you woke up."

His voice no longer brought panic and dread to her, mostly because she was slowly beginning to somewhat understand him. Somewhat, and very, very slowly. His voice is flat and emotionless but not hostile. He just sucked at talking to people, that's all there was to it. Well, that and the fact that he was extremely bitter about being stuck in the village against his will. It was obvious a lot of the time that he'd want to hurt someone, know he couldn't, and so decided to hurt them verbally instead. He was really good at saying hurtful things.

Although she still ached in multiple places, especially her shoulder, she sat up on the bed and looked around. They were in a hotel; Kiba was lying on the couch with Akamaru curled up on the floor. Sasuke was sitting in a chair beside her bed, his arms crossed and eyes closed. A deeper glance made her gasp softly. Both men were covered in bandages, as if they had gotten into a fight with a wild animal and lost.

"What…" she began, her hands moving to her face in shock.

"One of Tsunade's aides and the guy who had hired us set us up." His voice was low and sounded like a rumble in the darkness "The girl was the bait, I was the target."

Her eyes snapped over to him but he didn't open his eyes or even move. "And before you ask no, I didn't kill the bitch, although I should have. She's tied up and locked in the bathroom since it doesn't have any windows. Apparently, she's a fucking shinobi too. Inuzuka found that out the hard way."

The Hyuuga just continued to stare at him in disbelief. A set up? They had been trying to target Sasuke? "W-why would one of Tsunade-sama's aides…"

"I don't know if you've realized this or not, Hyuuga, but I've pissed off a _lot_ of people since I've left." He interrupted "But that's what the girl has told us. She could be lying but I doubt it."

"I…I'm sorry." She said after a long moment of silence. Even though it was dark in the room she could see his dark gaze when he opened his eyes and regarded her.

"I'm a murderer." He said frankly "Don't apologize to me."

She shook her head "B-but you're also a team mate so…you're also a comrade. I…Naruto-kun believes in you and he believes you're not a bad person s-so…"

In one move he slapped a hand over her mouth and slid on the bed, straddling her. Her eyes widened in surprise and a little bit of fear as he looks down at her with a cold, blank stare. Then he bent down and she can feel the warmth of his breath along her neck and her ear, she can smell his scent, the one that matched his bedroom.

"What do _you_ believe, Hyuuga Hinata?" he asked "Or do you always base your opinions around others?"

Removing his hand from her mouth he continues to look at her and she knows that if she looks away she will not like the consequences. There is silence and for once he is patient, waiting for her answer.

"I…" she began, her eyes trying to search for something, anything, but his emotions were guarded. She had no idea what he was thinking or what he wanted to hear. That was the point, she supposed. "I think…you're very cruel." She admitted "I think that you enjoy hurting others because you want them to feel the same pain you feel. I think that you hate yourself as well as everyone else. I-I think that you carry pain and sadness with you at all times. I think that…if you wanted to, you _could_ become a good person, or even an honorable person. H-honorable people aren't necessarily good o-or noble."

His gaze remained impassive. He didn't blink or even flinch at any of her statements, he merely stared at her. She was sure that he wasn't going to try and do anything crazy to her with Kiba sleeping right there on the couch, but then again he didn't always act logically. Sometimes Sasuke did things that made sense only in his mind.

Slowly he bent forward again, until he was practically lying on top of her. Her breathing quickened and she could feel her face burning. What was he…?

"You are," he murmured, his lips brushing along her ear "absolutely right. Tell me Hyuuga Hinata, should I become honorable or good? Should I try to walk along a path of righteousness? You seem to have the answers, what should I do with myself?"

He didn't move and she felt highly uncomfortable for various reasons. She'd never had someone do something this forward to her, on top of that, didn't he hate her? What was he doing? Was he trying to scare her again?

"I think…" her breath caught when she felt his lips brush along her jaw line. When she felt him exhale along her neck she squeezed her eyes tightly shut "I think you should…just live. It's your l-life, only you can decide how you should live it."

The Uchiha stopped moving, she almost thought for a moment that he had even stopped breathing, except that she could feel the rise and fall of his chest against hers. She felt fingers slide through her hair and she tries not to whimper. Why was he doing this? If he was trying to frighten her he was doing a really good job of it.

_If he's trying to seduce me, he's doing a really good job of it._ She thought reluctantly. It was amazing how she could feel terrified yet somewhat aroused by the feel of his body against hers, his lips brushing along her skin which seemed to leave little sparks of electricity in its wake.

"Even if I hurt others?" his voice drove her out of her haze. "Even if I hurt you?"

"Y-you've already h-hurt me."

"Hn. So I have."

"N-no one c-can force y-you to do a-anything you d-don't w-want t-to." She stammered out nervously, her breaths quickening.

"That's true." He agreed, as if he weren't lying on top of her moving his lips along her skin and shifting his fingers through her hair. "What if I don't know what I want in life?"

She couldn't help the tremor that went through her when his lips trailed all the way down her neck and then back up. When she did she could feel him smirking and she tried to force her body to ignore the Uchiha's latest attempt at trying to torture her.

"Y…you have to find it for yourself." She was able to answer, proud of herself for not stuttering much "T-there are people who c-can help…if you want them to, but in the end only y-you can decide w-what's meaningful in your life."

"You're surprisingly insightful for a sheltered princess."

"I was an outcast."

His lips stopped moving "Explain."

"I, um, I was disowned for a w-while. B-because I wasn't s-strong enough. My position as h-heir had been removed from me."

He didn't respond for a long moment. Then he snorted "They're the reason you weren't strong enough." He remarked blandly "I'm assuming you've reclaimed your throne?"

"I…I had to f-fight for it. I trained a lot…I-I wanted to change myself."

"Hn." He sat up again and their gazes locked. Still she could read nothing in his gaze or in his features. He was a blank slate. Once again he leaned forward, his eyes keeping hold of hers until his lips was an inch away from hers. She was trembling, her body tense. Was he really going to…

Suddenly, the pressure on her body was gone and the Uchiha was heading towards the door "I just realized, you're actually nothing like him." He left the room quietly leaving behind a very confused and very _red_ Hyuuga.

xxxxx

For the first time in his eighteen years of living he was sexually attracted to a girl.

It wasn't as if he had never found a female to be appealing or what have you; he was like other boys his age that thought about sex often. However, he had never felt a particular _pull_ towards a female, an urge to take and claim and go '_Mine'._

There were no 'feelings' involved, it was the pure desire to _dominate_ and _possess_. All of his hatred and frustration seemed to make some sort of twisted sense to him now, or perhaps he really was just fucking losing it and for some reason this girl was becoming the catalyst.

Or perhaps he wanted her because he knew he could not have her.

Last time he remembered, she had been hopelessly in love with Naruto. He was almost positive she still was. Back then she had held no attraction towards him, which he had been grateful for but overall hadn't thought too much about it nor had he cared. Years later she still wasn't attracted to him, at least not mentally. She had responded to him, yes, but any female would have if a man like him was lying on top of them. She didn't _like_ him, however, and for some reason that seemed to be more exciting and arousing than her actually liking him.

Her opinion mattered to him, annoying but true. It had at the very beginning, when she had practically accused him of being afraid to face the challenges of life. When he had still been reeling from Itachi's words and trying to decipher their full meaning her voice had also echoed along, bringing him to distraction, angering him.

Hyuuga Hinata had basically confessed that she thought he was a cruel and unfeeling person who could, if he so desired, change himself. Did she believe he was a good person? Probably not, but she probably tried to convince herself of it because it was what Naruto had done.

His questions and answers had been legitimate. He didn't know what he wanted to do with his life, he had wanted an answer. The answer she had given, however, was frustrating and told him nothing. There wasn't anything concrete there; it was something he had to 'figure out for himself' which was not new knowledge for him.

So, the question was, how did he want to live his life? He had no answer, although he did know one thing; whatever it was, it somehow involved that girl. Whether he killed her or claimed her, she would become a part of his life. It wasn't even something he could control, his mind and body seemed to do whatever the hell it wanted to and be damned what he wanted deep down.

Before the hospital he had never exchanged any more than two words with her, yet the moment they held an actual conversation she began to consume him. He hated it because it wasn't something he was consciously aware of most of the time.

Or maybe he was just going fucking ape shit again and she had been the first one there. Who knew.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

xxxxx

The moment the four of them walked into the Hokage's office and the Uchiha laid eyes on the client, he was in the man's face in a flash. The teenager's hand snapped around the client's thick throat and raised him up in the air. When the familiar chirping of the Chidori could be heard as the fallen avenger pulled back his other hand to strike Hinata bolted forward, ignoring everyone else as they shouted at the half-crazed man to stop.

"What are you doing?" the client screamed – actually screamed – squirming in Uchiha's grip, his chubby face turning a bright red.

Both Naruto and Sakura, who were in the room standing by Tsunade, hesitated to move forward when they saw the Hyuuga move. Tsunade herself was shouting at the Uchiha to put the man down and the dark haired boy was ignoring all of them.

"You set us up." It was said low but even with the Chidori active the others could hear it. With a shrug, Kiba picked the girl they were supposed to have 'saved' and dumped her unceremoniously on the floor in front of the Hokage.

"Just what the hell is going on here?" Tsunade demanded, looking between Kiba and Sasuke as if both of them had lost their minds "Uchiha! Put him down!"

Crimson eyes shifted to the Hokage as he tilted his head to her "You're incompetent." He deadpanned "Do you even bother to do background checks on the people you hire or on people who make requests? This man _doesn't have a daughter._"

If the client had been standing instead of being choked in the air he would have stiffened. Tsunade and the Uchiha's former team mates looked at him in complete shock before turning to the girl on the ground, tied and gagged.

"Uchiha's right," Kiba backed him up "The entire mission was a setup. They knew who was out on missions and who would be assigned to this particular mission and had everything waiting for us when we got there." He motioned to Hinata who had at this point reached the other brunette and was placing a gentle hand on his forearm. "This chick attacked me the moment we got through all the defenses. She's a shinobi."

The moment Hinata placed her good hand on his forearm Sasuke's gaze snapped to her, Sharingan still active. His face held no emotion but his anger was evident in his eyes. She knew she shouldn't have touched him, Sasuke didn't tolerate _anyone_ touching him unless for medical reasons and would at times even become borderline violent if his personal space was violated. But she did it anyway.

"Uchiha-san…" she began but it didn't seem as if he was registering her words. Instead of shaking her off he turned his head back to the client and once again moved his hand to strike. He was going to kill this man if she didn't do _something_.

"Sasuke!" her nails dug into hardened muscle, her eyes wide. Hinata had merely reacted, as Sasuke had actually shot his hand forward and had been about to embed it within the client's chest. When the Hyuuga shouted his name he stopped halfway and once again she had his full attention. She had no idea what he could be possibly thinking of and the entire room was tense and silent save for Uzu's whimpering.

Realizing that he wasn't actually moving and waiting for her to say something she hurriedly tried to explain "I-if you do this a-all of what you've b-been doing would have b-been in v-vain. I-is he…is it really w-worth it?"

The silence continued for a long moment and the Uchiha continued to just stare at her blankly. When the chirping sound of his jutsu began to fade she was sure everyone in the room had sighed in relief. Hinata didn't focus on them; however, she was keeping her gaze on Sasuke. His hand moved down to his side and the crimson in his eyes faded to its normal dark grey. Without the Sharingan it was even more difficult to tell what he was thinking. His other hand opened and the client dropped to the floor, gasping for breath and backing away from the man who had almost killed him until he slammed against the wall.

His gaze slid over to her hand still on him but instead of shaking her off he merely lowered his arm and walked away from her. Leaning back against the wall near the Hokage's door he crossed his arms, lowered his head and closed his eyes.

"Do whatever you want." Was what he said.

The tension in the room lifted considerably, but it wasn't gone. Realizing she wasn't going to get any real cooperation out of the Uchiha, Tsunade turned to Kiba "I want to know everything, right now."

"Uchiha figured it out first," the Inuzuka explained "At first we were attacked by a large number of shinobi, _not_ the 'common thugs' the man had claimed they were. These guys were skilled. Twenty of them and half of them went after Hinata."

Three sets of eyes snapped to Hinata and she forced herself not to shift uncomfortably.

"They tried to take her out but…" Kiba's gaze turned to the Uchiha but he didn't move or acknowledge that anything was going on "Uchiha stepped in and took the blows." He waited for it to sink in for a moment before continuing "He figured out that they had attacked Hinata because they knew she was a Byakugan user."

"I suppose that explains why your arm is in a sling." Tsunade said flatly, her brown eyes shifting over to the client with disdain "Continue."

"Well, we went after the girl anyway and met up with shinobi more skilled than the other guys. They had a pretty good knowledge of our skills and abilities, so we were positive by then that _someone_ tipped them off. I got inside first and the moment I stepped inside this chick," he nudged a foot at their captive "tried to cut my head off with a scythe. When we captured her she told us that they got the information from one of _your_ aides and that the set up was planned out –"

"They were trying to kill me." Sasuke finished, but he still didn't move "Doesn't really make sense for them to know I was out and about on a mission, does it?"

Tsunade was pissed, Hinata could tell looking at her. Her gaze snapped to Sakura "Sakura, go find out which one of my aides is missing, grab an article of their clothing and report back to me immediately."

"Yes ma'am!" Sakura was out the door in seconds.

"Naruto, take our 'client' and his 'daughter' down to Ibiki. We'll see how much more information they'll be willing to share with us."

With a grin, the blonde walked over to Uzu, rubbing his hands together and chuckling, an intimidation tactic. The man continued to whimper.

"Inuzuka, Hyuuga, Uchiha," the Hokage's gaze slid over them "When Sakura gets back, you're to go and track down the traitor. Alive." She added, glaring at Sasuke "She shouldn't be that much of a threat."

"Whatever."

xxxxx

A few days later Haruno Sakura finally acquired the courage to approach her long time love for the first time alone. Ever since Sasuke had awakened he had been hostile, temperamental and borderline mentally unstable. Naruto was constantly telling her that the Uchiha simply needed time as his emotions were conflicted and all over the place, but the questions that were plaguing her wouldn't go away.

A lot of it was needed closure. Sakura had already come to terms with the fact that she and Sasuke would never become an item, even if a part of her wished it were possible. The boy she had loved had turned into a man she didn't understand nor could relate to. Physically he looked the same, save for the fact that he probably needed a haircut in the near future. Mentally…that was a completely different story. His personality was also vastly different, only the small bits and pieces of his twelve year old self stuck out from time to time. Those small moments gave her hope that one day in the future he would come to accept life here.

So while she had given up on him romantically, he was still someone she cared deeply for and always would. That was why she had asked him to meet her alone at their training grounds, for closure and also to figure out the meaning behind his recent behavior.

He did not look happy when he arrived, clad in the standard long sleeved black shirt and pants, hands in pockets. His forehead was wrapped in bandages similar to Hyuuga Neji, for he would forever hold the same seal.

Also like Hyuuga Neji, Sasuke was highly intelligent and missed little. She didn't expect this to be an easy conversation.

"I'm almost positive you didn't call me out here to train." He remarked blandly as he stopped a respectable distance away from her. Besides the fact that he was frowning he was showing little emotion, his dark eyes devoid of light.

He never had been one to beat around the bush. She laughed nervously "W-well…yeah, I guess you're right." When his eyes narrowed she raised her hands in a peaceful gesture "I just want to talk Sasuke-kun, that's it. You can spare a few minutes to talk to me can't you?"

The pink-haired girl could feel his gaze on her, searching. After a moment he looked away "So talk then."

Relief filled her when he didn't push her away or walk off. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun." He remained silent so she took a deep breath and decided to just go for it "Do you like Hinata-chan?"

Ever since that day when only Hinata had been able to calm Sasuke down and keep him from killing their client it had bothered her. Initially, Sasuke had been outright cruel to her friend, to a point where she had actually physically struck him for being such a…well being a bastard. Although she wasn't really that close to the Hyuuga, Sakura did like her and in some ways admired her. When she had found out that Sasuke was all but trying to beat the girl to death she had been really angry. Why Hinata? She wasn't a hateful person; she genuinely cared for everyone and was one of the most selfless people she knew. What would drive him to be so cruel?

But the other day was as if a complete one eighty had occurred; now it seemed that Sasuke didn't hate her at all, perhaps he never had. Either way, he had shown Hinata more courtesy and kindness – for Sasuke anyway – than he had for anyone else since waking. It didn't make sense and she was genuinely worried for her friend.

She had his full attention at this point and his blank expression shifted to…a smile "Of course not, Sakura. You should know by now that you're the only woman I want to be with."

It took a lot for her not to react to the sarcasm dripping from his voice. Was it always going to be like this? Would he always be this angry and cruel to everyone? Hurting them with words instead of his fists?

She decided to try again "Sasuke-kun, please. Hinata-chan is my friend and I'm concerned. It has nothing to do with my feelings for you."

He stared at her for a long while, once again his face unreadable. Maybe she should have had Naruto tag along after all, it seemed that he understood what Sasuke was thinking more than anyone else.

Sasuke floored her with his answer. "I'm in love with her."

There was no sarcasm, nothing snide in his tone…it was serious. Sakura couldn't help the small step back she took, her eyes widening. He was…with Hinata-chan? Despite her words, she couldn't help but feel a small pang of jealousy for the pale eyed girl. Why Hinata? Even though she had told herself that she was no longer in love with him it still…hurt. He didn't even know her, hell, he knew Ino better than he did Hyuuga Hinata.

"W-why Hinata-chan?" it was a whisper. _Why Hinata-chan and…and not me?_

"Why do you care?" he countered "Try not to lie to me this time, I'm not going to believe you're asking that because you're genuinely concerned for her."

"I am concerned for her!" she snapped "Hinata-chan is a really nice girl and she's been hurt enough by guys."

"You mean when the idiot rejected her after she confessed?"

So he knew about that. Sakura nodded "Please, Sasuke-kun…why Hinata-chan?"

"Why Hinata and not you?" her gaze snapped to his but still she couldn't read him "I thought you said this wasn't about your feelings."

_He's…he's toying with me._ Green eyes widened as she came to a realization "You only said you loved her because you wanted to see what I would say."

"Of course I did." He said as if it were obvious "If you knew anything about me, you would have known it from the beginning."

_Sasuke-kun…you're so…you're so cold. You're right, maybe I should have known…you don't want to be capable of love, do you?_

"I'm going to tell you the same thing I told that idiot this morning when he tried to pin me down with the same fucking question: It's none of your business." His eyes narrowed at her.

Sakura was genuinely surprised "Naruto asked you about Hinata-chan?" the medical nin knew that Naruto had grown closer to Hinata as friends but for him to confront Sasuke about it…he was as worried as her it seemed.

"Yeah, he did." The Uchiha raised his chin slightly at her "So stop asking me stupid questions."

"It's not stupid," she argued "You can say whatever you want but ever since you've been here you haven't let anyone touch you unless it was for medical reasons. First you're horrible to Hinata-chan and now all of a sudden she touches you and you didn't do _anything_. I remember when Ino came to you and you actually shoved her to the ground when she touched your arm." Her hands clenched into fists "Regardless of how _I_ feel, I need to know if you're planning on continuing to hurt Hinata-chan for whatever reason you've decided to target her for-"

She was cut short as Sasuke's sword was suddenly at her neck. She hadn't even seen him move, yet he was now beside her, sword in hand. Slowly she turned her head to the side. Like before those years ago when he had tried to kill her, his eyes were cold, as if she were just a stranger. An enemy.

_S-Sasuke-kun…_

"I'll do whatever I want whenever I want to whomever I want." He said calmly "I don't need to explain myself to you or anyone else." The sword was gone and she let out a breath she hadn't been aware she had been holding as he sheathed it. "Naruto is going to ask Hyuuga out and I could care less. There's your answer, don't ever ask me that question again."

He left her in stunned silence as he disappeared. Slowly, she sank to her knees, shaking. Who was Uchiha Sasuke? Did she even know anymore? She sat like that for a long while, ignoring the tears that fell from her face.

For some reason, she didn't believe Sasuke when he said he didn't care, but she wasn't sure why. Maybe he did still hate Hinata and was only tolerating her presence because he had to. Maybe she and Naruto had it all wrong.

"_Naruto is going to ask Hyuuga out…"_

Alarm spread through her as his words finally sunk in. That wasn't possible; Naruto didn't like Hinata that way. Did he change his mind? Was Naruto…had he stopped loving her?

_I never did tell him how I truly felt._ She thought to herself _Maybe…he's giving up on me. Maybe he's going to leave me too…_

This only made her sob harder. Her feelings for Naruto were complicated which was why she had kept her mouth shut for the past two years. She wasn't sure if she loved him, but the thought of him being with Hinata really upset her. What did Hinata have that she didn't? Why were both Sasuke _and_ Naruto interested in her? She knew she shouldn't feel jealous but she did; she was jealous and angry. It felt as if somehow her friend was inadvertently taking away the two anchors in her life.

Making a decision, Sakura wiped her face, straightened out her clothes and began to search for Naruto. Sakura was aware that she had lost her chance with Sasuke, hell, she probably never had a chance to begin with. Hinata had loved Naruto for a long time, if he went to her would she accept? Did she still love Naruto? Either way it was decided. Sasuke wanted to keep himself in the dark concerning his strange feelings for Hinata and that was fine. However, Hinata couldn't have _both_ of her boys and Sakura's feelings for Naruto were…different. She wasn't entirely sure about everything, she just knew that she didn't want Naruto to be with anyone else.

xxxxx

When Sasuke opened his eyes this morning, he was greeted by bright blue eyes and a cheesy grin. Dark eyes blinked once. Twice.

"Mornin' Sasuke!" Uzumaki Naruto greeted. "Rise and shine!"

Sasuke clocked him in the jaw.

Protests were ignored as the Uchiha sat up on his couch, scowling, a hand moving through his thick hair. His sleeping habits were becoming dangerous; Naruto should not have been able to enter his apartment without him knowing. He could sense two others outside, one of them being…

"Ow!" the blonde was squirming on the ground, holding his swelling jaw "You bastard! That really hurt!"

"Whatever." The Uchiha snapped "It's what you get for surprising me, idiot. You were practically sitting on me."

Another huge grin "You know you would have liked it. You know what the girls say…"

A dark brow shot up and a strange sensation of amusement moved through him "I don't bottom." Standing up, he began to stretch. "Besides," with a hand on his hip his other hand pointed down to his crotch "You couldn't handle this. I'd _destroy_ you."

"Oh yeah?"

Before he could respond a blur of blonde slammed into his chest and the two boys tumbled to the ground, wrestling. They went at it as if it were a cat fight, biting, kicking, pulling hair. They had landed near the back of his apartment where there was, thankfully, no furniture. There was growling, a bit of trash talking and a lot of rolling around for the 'seme' position.

"W-what are you two _doing_?"

Both boys paused right when Naruto had gained the upper hand, panting. The picture it presented was probably not a good one. Naruto was fully dressed but Sasuke was not, clad in only a pair of drawstring pants. Because they had been tussling for a while both were covered in a thin sheen of sweat and Naruto was definitely straddling Sasuke. The blonde was being held up by the brunette who had been in the middle of flipping Naruto over to regain his 'seme' position.

The speaker was none other than Sakura who was looking at them as if the two had lost their minds. Hinata was right behind her, face a bright red while she tried – and failed – to hide her face in her hands.

A hand landed on the side of the Uchiha's face and his head was slammed down onto the floor. "Who's the uke now, bitch?" the blonde boasted.

Once again he was clocked in the jaw "Shut up, dumbass." Pushing/kicking the other male off of him Sasuke stood up, giving the girl's looks. "Sakura," he smirked "your nose is bleeding."

While the pink-haired girl rushed into the bathroom to save what little face she had left, the fallen avenger frowned inwardly. What had possessed him to act like that? It had just happened; Naruto had made that comment and he had reacted accordingly. He hadn't joked around with someone in…years. Honestly, he couldn't really remember a time where he had really joked around and tussled with someone. It had been nice. Fun, even. It left him confused.

_It's only been eight months and I'm going soft already?_

He decided to dismiss it for now. Naruto had always had the ability to catch someone off guard and it wasn't as if Sasuke hated him, quite the opposite. That last battle…they had reached an understanding, to say the least. Despite appearances the blonde was the only person he actually could tolerate in the village. That and this delicate-looking female in front of him who looked like she was about to pass out.

"Hyuuga." He remarked and she made a little squeaking noise "Why are you here?" It was a legitimate question since as her 'bodyguard' he always met her at the Hyuuga estate. It was still quite early. He pointedly ignored Naruto's curses and exclamations at him for hitting him in the jaw. Again.

"A-ah…" she stammered at first before clamping her mouth shut and taking a deep breath. She let it out and tried again "Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan wanted to come and get you for the festival today. It's summer so…" she trailed off, looking down at the ground "and since you're mission is to look after me…"

"I get it." He cut her off and began to walk to his room as Sakura emerged, avoiding his gaze. "I don't have any yukata and I don't feel like buying one. I'll be out in thirty." He slammed the door behind him.

xxxxx

"I'm sorry we stopped by so early," the Hyuuga heiress apologized sincerely, looking down at the ground. Naruto and Sakura were walking ahead while she and the Uchiha stayed behind as they walked the streets. Sasuke looked completely bored, often looking off to the side as if distracted. "If I had known…"

"I'm sure they dragged you out of bed just like they did me." he cut in and she didn't bother to argue.

Hinata wasn't sure why it had happened, but after the mission with Uzu the Uchiha had begun to treat her…differently. It wasn't that he was nice to her or anything, he just wasn't mean to her anymore.

"_What if I don't know what I want in life?"_

His words from that night many months ago still haunted her, mostly because of how the conversation had taken place. He had laid on top of her, nuzzling her neck and running his fingers through her hair as he spoke to her. After that night her dreams began to become full of nothing but him, his body and his words. It was a highly embarrassing and uncomfortable situation for her, as she saw him _everyday_ due to his assignment to protect her.

The fallen avenger never spoke of it again and she had been content to pretend it hadn't happened as well. She had no idea why he had done what he had that night and to be honest she wasn't sure if she _wanted_ to know. Uchiha Sasuke could have any woman he wanted, he couldn't possibly want her. Even if he did, even if he hadn't been toying with her that night, she would never involve herself with someone like him. He was callous, crude, sadistic and somewhat mentally unstable. She could not forget how horribly he had treated her in the beginning, hating her for reasons only known to him. Yes, she had improved a bit from sparring with him but she had also almost killed herself in the process.

He held few redeemable traits. When they went on missions he was cooperative and serious. There were times when he didn't act like a complete bastard and it made him somewhat tolerable to be around. Finally, whenever she was injured it seemed that he was there and he took care of her. And he did it without complaint.

So she didn't hate him and she didn't dislike him – it was more like she was wary of him. Over the past eight months she had come to know him more than she ever had in her entire life. As long as you didn't hang all over him or try to have him be 'nice' to you he was fairly tolerable. He didn't like wasting words and he _hated_ repeating himself. For some reason he held a strong aversion to touch and only allowed very few people to do so. Naruto was one, she was another. Everyone else he was almost borderline violent with unless they were treating his wounds. He was highly unpredictable; she had seen him more than once lash out or physically threaten people sometimes over really small things. Overall he was intimidating and frightening.

"Are we shopping for you as well?" his bland voice cut through her thoughts and she realized they were standing outside of a kimono shop. Naruto and Sakura were already inside browsing. Hinata blinked a few times in confusion. Looking up at him she saw that his gaze was on her, but he looked bored and uninterested.

"Ah, no." she shook her head "I have plenty at home. Sakura-chan is the one that wanted to buy a new one."

He raised an eyebrow "And she dragged you along because…?"

_Because she wanted to be around you._ She thought but instead decided not to answer, turning her head to look back inside the store. Sakura bounced around between Naruto and Sasuke often, as if she wasn't quite sure who she wanted to try and go after. While Hinata had given up on her long-time crush years ago, she didn't like how Sakura was being so indecisive because it was hurting Naruto. He never said anything or showed it, but she knew. The Hyuuga was beginning to think that Sakura was trying to get both of them, which was just really wrong to her.

Something firm gripped her arm and with a gasp she was pulled against the Uchiha. With a hand on his chest she debated on trying to push away but his grip was solid and he wasn't hurting her. Fingers brushed along her chin and lifted her head so that she was forced to look him in the eyes. Her heart began to pound in her chest and her stomach clenched uncomfortably. Just like that night his face was unreadable yet he was dipping his head as if he were going to kiss her.

"I don't like being ignored, Princess." His voice was low and his lips were only inches away from hers. "It's a little rude, don't you think?"

Her face heated and she tried to push back but the hand that had raised her chin now was around her waist. For her efforts she was pulled closer to him and she let out a small gasp. "U-Uchiha-san…" she began to stammer out "P-please…please let g-go…"

"Why?" tilting his head she could feel his lips brushing along her ear "I happen to be enjoying myself." She could hear him whisper.

Unpredictable. Nothing he did made any sense to her and she was a little frightened yet at the same time… "We're out…anyone can see us…"

"I promise you," he began and his voice sounded dry and almost a little bitter "those jerks _want_ me to be interested in a female." He did let her go, his gaze focusing on the shop. "What the hell are you two looking at?"

The heiress let out a horrified 'eep' when she turned to find Naruto and Sakura standing with their bags, looking at the two of them with very shocked expressions.

_This isn't what it looks like!_ When she took a step forward in an effort to explain herself she felt his hand wrap around her arm once again and pulled her back close to him. Confusion and frustration moved through her; what was he _doing?_ Why was he doing this? For six months he had not touched her, now all of a sudden he was doing something so drastic.

"Whoa, Sasuke…" Naruto blinked "Hinata-chan, he finally got to you?"

Her ears began to burn "N-no! It's not…"

"Let's meet up later." The Uchiha murmured "There's something I want to do." he looked down at her "If the princess doesn't mind, that is."

Hinata hesitated at his you-better-not-say-no gaze before giving a little nod. Before she could do or say anything else he had turned and was pulling her along.

"By the way," he snapped, turning his head towards them "if you two try to do another damn make-out session in front of me tonight I'll beat the hell out of both of you."

Startled, Hinata turned her head. Both teens were blushing and shifted nervously, refusing to meet her gaze.

When they were a good distance away he let go of her arm and shoved it back into his pocket, his expression turning bored once more. The Hyuuga just stared openly at him in shock. It took her a good few minutes before she realized what he had just done.

Sasuke must have seen the two of them kissing in the shop and he had distracted her so she wouldn't have had to seen it. Apparently, there was a method to his madness. Apparently, he wasn't as cruel as he wanted people to believe. He had actually cared enough about her feelings to spare her the pain of seeing her old childhood crush finally getting the person he had always wanted.

"Uchiha-san…" she began. She owed him a thank you…and an apology. "Th-than-"

"I'm hungry." He cut her off, frowning "Buy me lunch; I don't care what it is as long as it's not _ramen_." He spat the word out with no bit of love.

A small smile played on her lips "Okay."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

xxxxx

They were being watched.

Had he been able to use his Sharingan he probably would have found the guy by now. Unfortunately he was not on mission so his limit was sealed. It wasn't the same feeling as when he was being watched by ANBU, there was a heavy blood thirst to this spectator. Briefly he wondered if this person had anything to do with the setup to kill him six months ago. The Uchiha had little doubt that it could be a group, or even an organization, of people wanting him dead. It was no secret that many of the villagers were unhappy with his return, even if it was forced on him. An annoying situation, for if he had a choice he wouldn't even _be_ in the village were it not for the seals on his forehead and arms and legs. If he tried to leave the village without the seals on his limbs being removed he would get to the border and his body would lock up, unable to move. At least, that was what he had been told and he wasn't stupid enough to try and test it out to look like a dumbass when they dragged him back into town.

Also, the Hyuuga was with him and it was likely that she would be caught in the crossfire, if not made a target due to the amount of time they were forced to spend together. Who knew how long he had been watched? Six months was more than enough time to scout out and plan an attack. He wasn't entirely sure on what he wanted to do. He could always leave early but it would mean she would have to leave with him. He could try to sneak off to confront the guy but if Hyuuga was a target then she could be hit once he left her side. He could tell her and have her scout around to see what was going on but then she would be tense and uncomfortable.

_Why do I care about that?_

Mentally he sighed. He was acting stranger around the princess and Naruto, as if he were 'loosening' up or something. Earlier today he had distracted Hyuuga from seeing the small make-out session the two _thought_ couldn't be seen from where they had been standing. Sasuke didn't even know if the girl still had her stupid crush on the idiot.

_I guess that means he never did ask her out._

Not that he cared or anything. Because he hadn't. He didn't. He didn't _like_ her, he tolerated her presence and she didn't annoy the hell out of him like ninety nine percent of the females in the village did. Physically, he was attracted to her and it didn't help that she had all the right curves in the right places. He wondered what the fan-girls would think if he told them that he didn't like overly thin girls.

Tonight she was wearing a dark blue kimono with a crane and floral pattern, the edges dyed a light purple. Her long hair was pinned up, revealing a rather slender neck. She, thankfully, wore no makeup and she had a small smile on her face as she walked beside him. Once again Naruto and Sakura were ahead of them, holding hands since the cat was out of the bag. The Uchiha had debated splitting up and dragging the Hyuuga off somewhere else, but he wasn't sure why.

Six months later and he was still heavily confused about this girl and what she was doing to him emotionally. He really hoped that they would hurry up and give him his evaluation so he could put some distance between the two of them.

"Would you like to try some takoyaki miss?" a rather loud voice asked, bringing Sasuke out of his train of thought.

A man was holding a bit of takoyaki on a toothpick and was presenting it to Hyuuga who looked a little nervous. When she held up her arms to politely refuse Sasuke grabbed her arm and began to pull her away. She gave the man a small apology but didn't frown or seem upset with him for pulling her away so rudely. In fact, ever since earlier that morning she had been fairly quiet but the tense air between them had lifted a bit. She had even smiled at him a little more.

He didn't let go of her arm but he did loosen his grip. She didn't try to pull away from him but she wouldn't look at him either. The Uchiha felt highly uncomfortable with this scenario and he hated being so confused.

Sasuke learned that Hyuuga wasn't huge on playing games or winning prizes. She seemed content to either watch others play the games or walk around and simply enjoy the beauty of the summer festival. It was…refreshing knowing that she wasn't going to try and drag him all around the damn place to win ridiculous prizes with _his_ money. She was too respectful to try and use or manipulate someone. He found that to be a strength and a weakness.

"Did you want to look at the fireworks, Uchiha-san?" she asked him while Naruto played the bottle game, trying to win Sakura some sort of ridiculous looking penguin. "It's towards the end so I'll understand if you'd rather go home."

He shrugged "It doesn't matter." He said honestly "Just as long as it's away from those two idiots. Knowing them, they'll start making-out and I _don't_ want to see that."

She giggled, actually giggled, and nodded her head a bit "I can understand."

Dark grey eyes gazed down at her as she watched Naruto play. He couldn't use any ninja skills so he was griping about how the game was 'rigged'. "Are you still in love with him?" Sasuke found himself blurting out and wondered where the _hell_ that had come from.

Pale eyes shifted up and looked at him in slight surprise. She didn't answer right away, instead she studied his face, as if expecting to find something revealing. When she found nothing she briefly closed her eyes and sighed.

"I will always love him," she admitted "I don't think you ever stop feeling for your first love…but I no longer want to be with him, if that's what you mean. I'm happy that he's with Sakura-chan; he's loved her for a long time."

"Hn." Was all he said and focused his attention elsewhere. He was growing more and more confused by the minute, he hadn't started thinking about this again until he had pulled her against him earlier because of the two idiots. She had molded perfectly against him and her light smell of flowers was for some reason intoxicating. Ever since he had been trying to find excuses to touch her and it was disorienting. Why? Why her?

The crowd was growing thicker and that menacing feeling from before increased tenfold. He knew then that whoever it was would be attacking soon. He still couldn't pinpoint the location, which was irritating. If he were able to activate his Sharingan he wouldn't be having this problem. That meant he had to use his brain.

Although the area was crowded doing a direct attack would be suicide, the Uchiha would see it coming with or without his bloodline limit. In addition, it was well known how powerful he and Uzumaki Naruto were. No, they wouldn't be stupid enough to try and shank him in a crowd full of people. Using explosives would be difficult in a shinobi community, _someone_ would see you. Too time consuming and one didn't need a crowd to strike. Striking from below wouldn't work, once again they'd get too close to him and he'd obliterate them. Unless the assassin was stupid, he would not try to engage in hand to hand combat with him. That left only one real option: sniping. A crowd of people was ideal for such a situation, causing chaos and a proper distraction.

_So, above then…_

Had he had his Sharingan he would have seen the attack coming. Hinata, however, had no such problems with her own bloodline limit and, once again, he had underestimated her skills. He saw her body stiffen and then her Byakugan activated.

Then she did something _really fucking stupid._ She jumped in the way.

All of it happened within a second. Hinata jumped in front of him, kunai out and ready and his gut started screaming at him to _get her out of the way_ because she was going to die. He saw her stiffen when she realized that she had jumped in a second too late.

However, the Uchiha's speed was faster than a second. One arm snaked around her waist and pulled her hard against his body and his other arm blocked the five senbon that had been heading for her head and, consequently, his heart.

The crowd, as predicted, burst into screams and chaos erupted. He couldn't hear that, however. All of his senses were being destroyed by the unimaginable amount of pain lancing through his skull as his Sharingan finally faded. It had only been for a second yet…

"You…" he muttered to Hyuuga as her eyes widened with shock and tears "are a fucking _idiot_."

The world thankfully faded to black.

xxxxx

She refused to leave the room and no one tried to stop her, they understood. Uchiha Sasuke lay in the hospital bed, eyes closed as the machines kept track of his vitals. One forearm was bandaged and the poison that had been coated on the senbon had thankfully been expelled by Sakura who had been only a few feet away from them.

Hinata couldn't get the scene out of her mind. She had sensed the attack almost too late and her body had just moved, knowing that they were aiming for Sasuke. Why she jumped in the way she had no idea, all she knew was that after she had jumped in front of him he had grabbed her, pulling her close. An arm was suddenly in her field of vision, a grunt, and then she could see the poison moving through his arm with the Byakugan. They had been aiming for his heart; her head had been in the way.

When she had deactivated her Byakugan and looked up at him she had almost cried out at his _crimson_ eyes looking at the direction where the senbon had been thrown. It had all happened in exactly one second. Then he stumbled forward, called her an idiot and passed out. She had been trying to save him and ended up being the one saved instead. Guilt and pain moved through her, wasn't it always like that around him? Before had been the mission where they had been betrayed and she had been pinned down. She would have died had he not taken all of the blows. He didn't even snap at her then, he just healed her to the best of his ability and then took her to the nearest town for better treatment. After that it kept happening, he _kept_ getting in the way during missions, he went out of his way to protect her.

Of course, that was his job right? That was his mission. Yet what about earlier in the day with Naruto and Sakura? He only had to protect her from danger, not from a potential broken heart. Of course, he had done it in the crudest and most embarrassing manner possible, but he had done it nonetheless. In addition, he had made sure that the two of them saw Sasuke with his arms around her, as if giving them a silent 'Fuck you'.

Had she misunderstood this man all this time? Was he really as bad as she had initially believed?

"I'm so sorry, Uchiha-san…" she said miserably, her head down as she sat in the chair beside his bed. She didn't touch him, he didn't like being touched, but she didn't want to leave either. This entire situation was all her fault.

"You apologize too much."

Alarmed she looked up and saw his dark gaze on her, his brows furrowed in a small frown. Even more surprise went through her when he lifted his hand and brushed his fingers along her cheek.

"I don't want your tears." He said flatly, his eyes narrowing "I didn't know which direction the attack was coming from, you did. Now we're both alive." He dropped his hand and turned his head to look up at the ceiling, a hand moved through his thick hair "How long?"

"Oh! Um, it's only been a few hours."

"Did you watch the fireworks?"

Hinata stared at him, her mouth slightly open "W-what? Uchiha-san I…I've been here this entire time, how could I go watch fireworks when you –"

"Idiot." Sitting up he raised his hand and…flicked her forehead. She cried out and put her hands over the red mark. "Don't miss them next time." He smirked at her.

No, it wasn't a smirk; it was…it was a genuine smile. He was _smiling_ at her. Maybe the poison had addled his mind or she was hallucinating because this man did not genuinely smile. Ever. Still rubbing her sore forehead she just continued to stare at him, too stunned to do anything else. Was this the real Uchiha Sasuke?

"You didn't get to watch them either." Why she said that she had no idea, even though it was true.

"Hn." He agreed "We'll have to wait until next time." He lay back down, putting his uninjured arm over his eyes.

Fighting – and failing – a blush she began to stand "Oh, I should…" he looked tired and now that he was going to be all right "I should go. You need your rest."

A hand snaked out, grabbing her wrist and effectively stopping her. His arm was still over his eyes and his face showed no hint of emotion.

"Stay with me, Hinata." It was said low, so low she almost hadn't heard it. Her face burned, not just at the request but the fact that he had, for the first time, called her by her first name. What was she supposed to think about this? About him?

"S-Sasuke-san I…" she almost pulled away again until she noticed the small twitching of his lips when she had called him by his first name. His death grip on her wrist remained and that small smile was enough. Regardless of all the weirdness that seemed to be constant between them, she couldn't turn away from him after that. Smiling warmly at him even though he couldn't see it she sat back down in the chair and said nothing when he pulled her hand into his.

More than likely tomorrow he would pretend that this never happened, just like before six months ago. Tomorrow he would go back to being awkward and somewhat strange. Tomorrow he would be back to normal, but tonight it seemed that he wanted to let go of the walls he held up, just for a little while. Why he did so around her she didn't really know and unless he told her she probably would never know. With a small sigh she moved forward and laid her head near him, interlacing their fingers. They said nothing to each other the rest of the night.

xxxxx

Many months later Sasuke was greeted once again by a blonde idiot straddling him with a huge grin on his face. Blue eyes sparkled with amusement.

"Good morning, Sasuke-chan!" Naruto sang annoyingly and leaned forward "Rise and shine! It's a beautiful day filled with beautiful, youthful things!"

_Someone's been hanging out with Rock Lee a little too much for comfort._

His eyes widened when Naruto's hands framed his face and he made the most ridiculous-looking kissy face he'd ever seen in his life. "Or maybe you need a good morning ki-"

Sasuke gave the blonde a right hook and, with some considerable skill and flexibility, slammed his foot into the other man's chest, sending him flying.

"I'm starting to wonder about you…" the brunette muttered darkly and got out of bed, ignoring Naruto's protests. "Don't you have a girlfriend you could be…" he shuddered "kissing up on?"

"Man, did you have to hit me so hard?" sitting up on the floor Naruto nursed his swelling jaw "You hit harder than Sakura-chan sometimes…"

"Why the hell are you even here?" the Uchiha inquired "Tsunade said she wasn't going to give me any missions for the next few days." He began to stretch out his limbs "And if you say something stupid I'm going to kill you."

When his friend's expression turned serious Sasuke stopped, giving the blonde a look. Naruto was an annoyingly carefree person; if he looked serious, it was serious.

"I um," the future Hokage began, looking nervous "I uh, need some help."

A dark eyebrow raised "What kind of help?"

There was a long, tense silence as Sasuke stared at Naruto and the blonde looked at the floor. Did someone die or something? What was up with him?

"W-well…it's been almost a year since Sakura-chan and I started dating and…I wanna-ask-her-to-marry-me-and-I-want-you-to-help-me-find-a-ring."

_What?_ More silence as Sasuke tried to decipher just what the hell had been said to him. It actually took him a minute. Once he translated he shot Naruto a glare.

"Get the fuck out of my apartment." He deadpanned, pointing to the door.

Shooting up from his spot Naruto grabbed Sasuke's arm as the brunette tried to head back to bed. "C'mon you bastard I can't _ask_ anyone else! You gotta help me Sasuke, I'm begging ya!"

"No." he hissed, his voice sounding venomous "You wake me up at…" he looked at his clock "Seven in the morning for this? Don't you have other friends you can go bother? Maybe a _girl_ since you're getting a ring for a _girl?_"

He really could give two shits about Naruto's engagement issue. First of all, he had not a romantic bone in his body. Secondly, there was something disturbing about going out with your _guy_ friend to shop for an engagement ring. Third, he was the _last_ person on the planet Naruto should have asked for something like this. No. Seriously.

"The only girl I could ask is Hinata-chan!" the blonde whined "And it just…you know seemed wrong. She used to like me a lot."

_She still does._ He scowled at how that seemed to irritate him. Obviously, he'd been here a year and a half too many. "Yeah and what about me? Sakura used to be in love with me or did you forget that?"

The blonde shrugged "Yeah but you never liked her that way and she won't be there." He blinked as if realizing something for a moment and then looked back up at Sasuke with a sly grin "Y'know, while I'm looking for a ring for Sakura-chan you could look at one for Hina –"

The Uchiha hit Naruto on the back of the head. Hard. "Don't start that again." The brunette snarled "I haven't spoken to her since the eval."

Six months ago he had received his first evaluation and had been granted partial benefits. Half of the seal on his bloodline limit had been removed completely, something he had been grateful for. It was hard living with an ability you couldn't use without severe pain. He was allowed – more like forced - to go on missions that weren't strictly D ranked with groups, usually with Sakura and Naruto. The assassin that had tried to kill him at the festival had never been found, but he hadn't been attacked since then either. Of course his 'mission' to protect the Hyuuga heir had ended as well and none too soon.

Whenever he was around that girl he felt so different and out of sorts. He found himself wanting to say and do things around her, strange things. When he wasn't having nightmares he dreamed about her often, some of them innocent, most not so much. He was definitely physically attracted to her but it was…different. Whenever he was around her he ended up wanting to touch her, a simple brush here, or even pulling her to him. Sasuke had found himself wanting to be affectionate towards her and that had seriously freaked him the hell out. So once he had finished his 'mission' concerning her he had immediately started avoiding the Hyuuga and had been doing a rather outstanding job of it for the past six months.

"_Stay with me, Hinata._"

Why had he said that back then? He hadn't even been thinking, he had just reacted. Sasuke never looked at her but when she stayed and sat with him he had felt something come over him. Something he had never felt before. Her hand had felt small and warm, her scent light and appealing. Ever since that night he had been unable to shake the strange feeling. Why was it whenever he was around her he couldn't think straight and nothing he did made any sense, even to him? What happened to all that initial hatred he had held for her?

"Yeah but you stare at her like _all the time_." Naruto cut into the Uchiha's thoughts and he gave the blonde a look. He didn't stare at Hinata all the time, he hardly even saw the girl and Sasuke liked it that way.

"Shut the hell up, idiot, how can I stare at someone I don't ever see?"

Naruto obviously didn't believe him but he wasn't going to argue about it either "Whatever. Just help me out here, you're the only person I can trust with this. I've been…" he looked away from his best friend "I'd never thought I'd have a shot at this y'know?"

The two teens didn't say anything for a long while. Finally, Sasuke sighed, moving a frustrated hand through his hair "I'm going to regret this…_fine_, I'll go." With a quick snap of the wrist he grabbed Naruto by his shirt and pulled him up to eye level "But you. Owe. Me."

His friend looked as if he had handed him the world. Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Love made people stupid, even more so than usual for Naruto. "Sure thing, whatever you want." Once again those blue eyes of his turned sly "I'll even tag along when it's your turn to get a ring for Hina –"

"_Naruto._" The Uchiha growled in warning and the blonde wisely backed down.

"Okay okay! Sorry! Man, you always get so touchy when I mention her."

Sasuke decided to go and take his shower before he changed his mind and told Naruto to fuck off. He didn't want what the blonde wanted; a wife and family. The last thing he wanted was to marry someone and have his kid get used by Konoha. Not only that, Hinata was heir to the Hyuuga clan and wouldn't it be nice to have some Sharingan/Byakugan hybrids? Yeah, hell no. Hinata was simply not an option, even if he ever did get some wild hair up his ass and decide to get married and rebuild his clan.

xxxxx

She saw them in the middle of the street, arguing. A small crowd had formed around them until one of the men snapped at the onlookers and they all took off nervously. Why Naruto and Sasuke were arguing out in the middle of the street was anyone's guess.

"Dude, you're totally over exaggerating," Naruto grumbled, crossing his arms. He had a little black bag in his hand.

Sasuke looked as if he seriously wanted to hurt the other male "They thought _we_ were fucking dating!" the brunette exclaimed, obviously very unhappy "I _never_ should have agreed to your stupid crusade!"

"They were fine once we explained it to them." The blonde offered "_And_ I found the perfect one!" grinning he held up the bag "She's gonna love this! Think of it as mission accomplished, we did everything we came out here for."

"There are no words to convey how much you _owe me_ for this one." Sasuke snarled "I should just beat you to the ground on principle. What guy brings another guy to go shopping for a ri –"

"Naruto-kun? Uchiha-san?" she took a few more steps forward, concerned "Is everything alright?"

The fallen avenger didn't even look at her, instead he turned his gaze to the side and scowled. Naruto's face lit up and he almost knocked her over as he pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Hinata-chan!" the exuberant male swung her around a bit in his arms, causing her to blush furiously. "You gotta wish me luck, ok?"

Blinking owlishly at him she tried to ignore how close his face was to hers "Um, w-wish you l-luck on w-what?"

"The idiot is going to ask his girlfriend to marry him." The brunette interrupted, still looking away from them. He looked somewhat relaxed but she could sense he was irritated about something.

That was probably the first real sentence he had said to her in the past six months. Hinata didn't see him often and when she did he outright ignored her. It had hurt a little at first, because she had thought that perhaps they were somewhat associates if not friends, and unfortunately it still did. She avoided looking at him and focused her attentions on Naruto. She gave him a bright smile.

"I'm so…I'm really happy for you Naruto-kun." She said honestly "You've loved her for such a long time. I'll be cheering for you."

He hugged her even tighter, rubbing his cheek against hers "Thanks Hinata, you're the best you know that?"

"Don't you have a _girlfriend_ you should be doing that with?" Sasuke was now looking at them and he definitely looked upset. His voice had sounded hard and cold.

"Shut up, you bastard." Naruto snapped and did not let go of his friend "I can hug my friends anytime I want." He turned his gaze to Hinata and smiled again "Isn't that right, Hinata-chan?"

_Oh boy._ Hinata laughed nervously, disliking being put between two people in an argument. "U-um well…"

Without warning the Uchiha walked up and physically separated the two of them, his hand gripping her wrist and pulling her behind him. Her eyes widened in obvious surprise.

"Go ask your girlfriend to marry you." He said low and angry "I better hear something by tonight considering the hell you put me through this morning. You _better_ get her to say yes or I'm going to kick your ass for wasting my time." When he turned his dark gaze to her she fought the urge to jump. His face was unreadable "You. Walk with me."

She was completely stunned but somehow managed to find her voice when he started pulling her along "B-but I…" she tried to protest.

"It can wait." He cut her off, his pace brisk and his grip on her wrist almost bruising. Hinata turned back to Naruto who waved at her with a huge grin that almost looked sly. Almost stumbling, she turned her attention back to the man who was dragging her along to who-knew-where when he had spent the past six months pretending she didn't exist.

When they began to head in the direction of the training grounds she began to feel nervous. The last thing she needed was to be alone with a very upset and highly unpredictable Uchiha. "U-Uchiha-san…where are we going?" she asked tentatively.

He didn't answer and the nervous feeling within her began to rise. She was too afraid to try and pull away; Sasuke was much faster and stronger than her and he wasn't always rational when angry.

They passed the training grounds to go deeper in the forest and Hinata almost did try to snatch her wrist from him and take off running. They were far away from anyone in listening range and she couldn't help but feel apprehensive. Everything he did or said always ended up confusing her and her emotions had been up and down over the past year and a half because of it.

"Why do you blush so much around that idiot?"

The question caught her off guard and she looked at his back "Huh?" she asked lamely before collecting herself "I don't…I don't mean to."

"It's annoying." She heard him grumble.

There was a small pause "Uchiha-san, this might sound rude but um, why do you care? You haven't wanted to have anything to do with me for six months now and –"

A gasp filled the air as she found her back pressed firmly against a tree. The heiress' eyes widened in surprise and even a little fear as she was effectively pinned by her ex-bodyguard, his black eyes staring hard into her white ones. She tried to catch her breath from the abrupt movement but she couldn't look away.

"Are you afraid of me?" He asked it calmly, there was no hint of malice or amusement.

It took her a few moments of moving her mouth before sound emerged "I-I…a little maybe…because I don't understand why Uchiha-san is doing this. A-are you going to hurt me?"

Once again he didn't answer, only looked down at her with those intense dark eyes of his. When he began to close the little bit of distance between them she felt her face heat and she wanted to back away but couldn't. Why wouldn't he say anything? What was going on?

His hand delved into her hair and before she realized what was going on he had pressed his lips against hers, pulling her against him. All thought flew out the window at the feel of his warm lips and body on her. Just as her eyes were fluttering closed he parted from her. When she opened her mouth partly to let out a small gasp he covered her lips with his once more, tongue delving in. This wasn't her first kiss but it was definitely her first time kissing a man like _this_. Before she realized what she was doing her arms were coming around his shoulders and fingers delved into thick hair. When she began to mimic his movements he let out a low sound from his throat.

Then he parted from her again and they stood there, breathless. Leaning forward he pressed their foreheads together.

"This is why…I've been avoiding you." He murmured and then kissed her again.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

xxxxx

It was at this point where Sasuke truly thought he had gone over the deep end and lost his mind. He couldn't stop kissing her, touching her and she _wasn't resisting._ She was actually kissing him back and her hands felt amazing moving through his hair.

This was what he had wanted to avoid. Why was he here, in the forest, kissing and practically feeling up on this woman? This situation seemed surreal and he tried to think of just how exactly this happened.

He had been arguing with Naruto about his horrifying experience in the jewelry store that was the blonde's fault. It had already been embarrassing enough walking into a place like that with a guy, but when the lady actually thought _they_ were together – and said so quite loudly - he had wanted to slaughter everyone in the store. Had it not been for Naruto he probably would have attacked her.

Somehow while they were arguing Hinata had shown up, looking worried. He had avoided looking at her; he couldn't think or function properly whenever she was around. Naruto had been running his mouth off to Hinata and then…then he had hugged her. Tightly.

The Uchiha had never felt such intense jealousy and it had taken him a lot not to go over and beat the hell out of his best friend. When Naruto protested Sasuke's comment and began _rubbing his cheek_ on her he had almost snapped right then. The fallen avenger had all but snatched Hinata from Naruto's grip and dragged her off to who knew where. He had just started walking, his goal to get her alone. Rational thinking had tried to make itself known. He needed to leave the Hyuuga girl alone. He couldn't allow himself to react like that around her. Why was he acting like that around her?

Unfortunately, jealousy won out in the end and he shoved rational thought aside, wanting to just get her alone and make her understand that she was…

She was…

_Mine._

Then he had pinned her against a tree and had just stared at her. Her pale skin, those huge white eyes and those lips. She had been alarmed and a little afraid of what he wanted to do with her.

"_Are you going to hurt me?"_

At the sound of those soft words he found himself wanting to do something he hadn't felt in a very long time; protect. He wasn't even sure if he could hurt her anymore, she was consuming his life, his thoughts, his dreams. For six months he had been trying, and failing, to dismiss this girl from his life. As always with her he had just reacted. Now he had her in his arms and he couldn't _stop_ kissing her, couldn't stop wanting to touch her.

A part of him wished she would fight him, push him away, but she didn't. She returned his kiss, pulling him even closer to her. Why had he been avoiding her?

"_This is why…I've been avoiding you."_ He had answered before claiming her mouth once more. She arched her back and he had to fight with himself to not lose control because he knew he would hurt her. Her lips were as soft as he had imagined, her hair felt wonderful between his fingers. She had smooth, flawless skin that she always tried to hide behind those damn jackets.

He broke from her lips to give attention to her neck. He just wanted to taste her, to see if she tasted as good as she smelled. She let out a small noise, whispering his name. Just like that he was hard, wanting her as badly as he had that first night in the hotel during that mission.

If he didn't stop he'd take her right then and there. He'd take her and then he'd avoid her again, because this wasn't something he wanted or could handle. Would it be better if he did that? It'd hurt her and then she would avoid and ignore him, solving the problem once and for all.

His hand pulled down the zipper of her jacket and reached his hand to cup her breast. _All those curves…_ he thought in a haze, enjoying the feel of her in his hand. She moaned and cried out softly, making his kisses and bites against her neck turn feverish. He had never wanted a woman the way he wanted this one right now.

_What the fuck am I doing?_

The rational part of his mind came kicking back in full force, cutting through the haze of lust he was feeling. Sasuke had an inner war with himself concerning this girl as he made out with her in the middle of the forest.

_I can't do this._

But he wanted to. Gods did he want to just rip off her clothes and fuck her against this tree.

_What if she gets pregnant?_

Rational thought saved the day, spilling over him like a bucket of ice cold water. He shoved himself away from her and backed away a few steps, falling into a crouch and tried to get his breathing under control. Against his better judgment he looked up at the woman who had been only seconds away from him losing it. Hinata was leaning against the tree, face flushed, lips swollen from their kisses, breathing harsh. Her hair was slightly disheveled and the tank top that she was wearing was still hitched up, revealing the creamy white skin of her midsection. Confusion and desire was written all over her face and he forced himself to look down.

"Get out of here." He warned.

She took a tentative step forward "S-Sasuke-san?" she inquired, confused yet curious. She probably wanted to 'talk' about it like all girls did when it came to issues.

But she had to go. "I said, get the fuck out of here." His dark gaze snapped up at her and she took an involuntary step back. He stood up "Stay away from me. Don't speak to me, don't look at me, don't even breathe in my fucking direction. I won't be responsible for what will happen if you do." Realizing that she was probably still too confused and stunned to do anything he was the one who turned and walked away. He didn't look back even once.

xxxxx

_This has got to be the worst case of irony I have ever experienced._

The next day Uchiha Sasuke had been summoned to the Hokage's office for a mission, A-Rank at that. The moment he stepped into the office he looked over and almost did a double take. Hinata was standing there with an unreadable expression. Her gaze was only on him for a moment before she turned her attentions back to the Hokage.

"Uchiha, Hyuuga, this mission has a few circumstances." Tsunade began "Your client's name is Nakamura Tori and he needs to be escorted to the Snow Country as a key witness to a murder trial there."

_Snow Country?_ He thought angrily _It takes almost two weeks to get to that place._

Weeks with _her._

"If you need a Byakugan user why not Neji?" he suggested blandly. He could not be around Hyuuga Hinata for weeks there and weeks back, _something_ was bound to happen with the way he reacted to her. Yesterday he had all but raped her in that forest. "He's still a jounin isn't he?"

Tsunade looked as if she wanted to hurl something at him, meaning she was already having a bad day. Instead her eye twitched and she leaned forward "First of all, Neji has been a part of ANBU for well over a year, so no. Secondly, there isn't anyone else to send that can scout and track like Hinata can, her Byakugan has the longest range out of her entire _clan_."

He knew that already. Damnit, why the hell was _she_ the one that had the longest range? Why couldn't it have been some other random Hyuuga? Male, preferably.

"Third," she continued, ticking off her points with her fingers "Hinata was promoted to jounin two months ago since you want to be fussy about positions, and lastly and most important, she's the only one available who can activate your seals if you get out of line."

His eyebrow twitched slightly. So she was being assigned to him as a baby-sitter? The notion was laughable. While he had not known that Hinata had been promoted it really didn't matter. If he really wanted to escape the first thing he'd do would be to kill her before she could even make the hand sign. It wouldn't be difficult, he was much faster than she was by a long shot.

His face paled as the image of Hinata lying on the ground dead in a pool of her own blood emerged and he actually felt his stomach wrench at the thought. His heart even skipped for a moment and he finally schooled his features into a scowl.

_Why? Why her?_

When Sasuke remained silent Tsunade continued "Once you escort him you're to remain until the trial is over as his personal bodyguards. The man paid a ridiculous sum of money to keep you guys around until he could be confident of his safety." Her gaze focused straight on him "We never did catch that assassin Uchiha. This trip would give them plenty of opportunities to strike at you. That's the second half of your mission. If you encounter the assassin you are to capture and interrogate them so we can figure out who the hell keeps putting hits out on you."

"I have a lot of _friends_." He muttered sarcastically "Take your pick."

She ignored him. "We have reason to believe that this is an actual organized group after you, Uchiha." His black gaze slid over to the Hokage, her expression grim "There's been…rumors. Whispers. If we can get information on them we can go from there. That's why we're going to remove the last seal on your Sharingan since we don't know who or how powerful these people are."

The Uchiha just shrugged, uncaring. They could send an army for all he cared, with his abilities at his full disposal none of them would live. He and Naruto were probably the two most powerful shinobi in the world right now and they were only what, nineteen?

"Are there any questions?" when no responses were forthcoming she waved them away "He'll be at the gate in an hour, get everything you need ready and be there fifteen minutes before. Dismissed."

xxxxx

It was going to take every ounce of self-discipline and willpower not to beat the living daylights out of this sniveling, whiny, _coward_ that was their client. The man was tall and overly skinny, almost sickly. His eyes were dark brown and slightly sunken in, as if he had problems sleeping. His hair was short and somewhat oily, wearing expensive clothes that looked three sizes too large on him. They hadn't even left the gate yet and he had already started whining because Uchiha Sasuke, the traitor, was going to be on the mission.

"A-are you r-really sure t-this is safe?" the man's beady little eyes shifted over to him nervously before turning back to Hinata. He put a hand gently on her arm. "I-I mean he's…"

Oh, let's not forget the most important part. The guy. Kept. Touching. Hinata. It was more than painfully obvious that the stick man had some sort of crush on her and she was polite about it, skillfully moving out of the way if his hands 'accidently' neared an area they shouldn't on her body to where it wasn't noticeable by anyone not a shinobi. She flashed him a genuine smile and patted his hand gently.

"It's fine Nakamura-san," she said in her soft voice "Uchiha-san and I have worked together in the past and we've always completed our missions flawlessly. You don't need to be concerned."

_Unless you keep trying to cop a feel._ He thought viciously, scowling. He wanted to walk up to the man and put his arm around Hinata or pull her against his body or something that told this little sack of shit that Hinata was _his_ and Uchiha _do not share._

Except that she wasn't. In fact, yesterday he had tried really hard to make it clear to her that he didn't want anything to do with her. If he had known Tsunade would pull something like this he would have kept his mouth shut until after the mission. Quite possibly he would be around Hinata every day for the next month or so and whenever he was around her he did and said crazy things. Like make out with her and tell her to fuck off shortly after for example.

He should have told Tsunade he couldn't do the mission, to send someone else. In reality he wasn't really able to decline missions but this…thing that was going on with him concerning her could complicate things and he didn't like failing. He was a very sore loser.

To her credit she didn't look in the least bit upset. Her expression was calm and neutral and besides the initial glance she had given him in the Hokage's office she had yet to turn or look at him or even acknowledge his existence. It was what he wanted, except that he had planned on not being around her ever, making everything easier. With her there, around him, he had no idea what he'd do. He wanted her badly and the more he avoided her the more he wanted her when she was near him. Angry, he shouldered his pack and started walking, not waiting for the two to follow.

About five hours of walking Nakamura had started whining about his aching feet and how he wished his carriage hadn't broken down so he could be sitting inside enjoying the day. Sasuke kept ahead of the group, trying very hard to ignore him because he'd be damned if he was going to stop after just five hours of walking. The guy needed to suck it up.

"You know, Hinata-chan," the rich man began. Sasuke's eyebrow twitched.

_Hinata-chan?_

"If I did have my carriage I would have loved for you to ride in it with me. Long trips are always best when in pleasurable company."

"Ah, um…" she came in, sounding slightly nervous "I can't um, I wouldn't be able to properly protect you that way Nakamura-san, but it's very considerate of you."

The man laughed "Not even for a few minutes?" There was silence and the man continued "Well, regardless, I have a rather large tent so perhaps –"

Nakamura cut himself off when the Uchiha suddenly stopped walking. Before anyone could question him he spoke up "Thirty minutes." He said low "Eat and then we're back on the path." He turned his head slightly to the side "Hyuuga."

There was the soft sound of 'Byakugan!' as she scanned the area "I don't see anything, Uchiha-san."

"I'll be over there." He pointed towards the trees.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Nakamura.

He still didn't turn towards them "I thought you said your feet were hurting." He snapped and briskly walked off before he killed someone.

The rest of the day was just as annoying. When their client wasn't whining he was flirting with Hinata. When he wasn't flirting with Hinata he was whining. Maybe Sasuke didn't defect because he wanted to get revenge; he was starting to think that it might have been his inability to deal with idiot clients like this one for these _stupid_ missions. Quite a few times he had felt his fingers twitch in desire to grab the sword behind his back and slice the guy in half.

_And this is only the first day._

Night fell and they went off the path to camp. Of course, Nakamura had something to complain about.

"I thought there was a town around here," he said to Hinata "why can't we just go there and get hotel rooms?"

"Because going into a highly populated area makes it easier for an assassin to kill you." The Uchiha growled as he set up his tent. "Hyuuga, take mine, I'll camp out with Fearless here."

Was that a twitch of her lips? _Cute…_

"A-are you…did you j-just insult me Uchiha?" the man stammered, still terrified of the traitor.

He shrugged, tossing his bedroll inside Nakamura's tent "Let's avoid fire pits for now." He looked over to Hinata who nodded in agreement. "You want first watch, Hyuuga?"

"That's fine." Her smile was thin and she went over to her – his – tent and began to set up for later and eat some rations. He sat down and pulled out his rations when he noticed Nakamura looking highly uncomfortable and upset. "What." He looked up at the man lazily from the ground.

"I…I don't have any food." The man said stiffly. "Since we were going past the town I figured I would eat my last good meal and grab my food there." He sniffed indigently "But since we _didn't_ go…" he gave the Uchiha a pointed look.

Nakamura let out a small yelp when Sasuke was suddenly on his feet and walking towards him "Are you _serious_?" he demanded. This was why he hated rich clients. The money just wasn't worth the headache of dealing with morons like this guy. Maybe a _beating_ would help him understand the situation a little more clearly. He wouldn't kill him; the guy would still be able to walk in the morning…

Gentle hands grabbed his arm and he spun to face Hinata, scowling. Her expression was pleading.

"I'll give him some of mine." She offered quietly, her gaze never leaving his "S-so please Uchiha-san…"

He roughly shrugged off her grip and began to head deeper into the forest "Let me know when that guy goes to sleep." The Uchiha couldn't deal with it anymore today; the guy was ridiculous.

xxxxx

When he came back two hours later Hinata was already standing watch, sitting on a fallen log. Even though it was night he could see her clearly, the moon was bright enough. He found himself walking over and sitting down next to her.

"Nakamura-san just went into his tent ten minutes ago," she explained blandly, as if giving a standard report "You still want me to have first watch right?"

"Yeah." He didn't look at her; instead he looked straight ahead "I'm just not tired right now." He actually didn't sleep often and when he did it was between three and five hours at best. Any longer and the nightmares would start.

Slowly his partner stood "Ah, well then, I'll just go do some rounds." She turned to leave.

For some idiotic reason he grabbed her wrist. He didn't know why and he was silently cursing himself for doing it. What was _wrong_ with him that he couldn't seem to leave this girl alone whenever they were together?

Hinata turned to him then and he started at her expression. There it was, the pain and hurt that she had been hiding all day, clear to see. For the first time she actually forcefully resisted, but his grip was as solid as steel.

"Uchiha-san, please let me go." She tugged again, frowning heavily "Or I…I'll make you."

The raven-haired man stood at this, a smirk playing on his features "Do you honestly think I'd _let_ you get off any moves on me?" he asked, moving closer.

Her eyes snapped to his again, stopping him "You said you didn't want me to…so please let me go. I'm trying to respect your wishes."

"I know what I said." He snapped, annoyed. Was it directed at her or himself? He had absolutely no clue.

"Uchiha-san!" she protested, keeping her voice down.

"Hinata." He said evenly.

Sasuke had seen women cry before, many of them could turn on the waterworks at the drop of a hat. For some reason, seeing her eyes water as she fought back tears really bothered him. A lot.

"Please let me go, Uchiha-san." Her voice was a little shaky.

"No."

"I'm not…I'm not a plaything!" her voice rose and he almost did let her go, shocked and stunned by her sudden proclamation "S-since the beginning you…you've hurt me, picked on me, ridiculed me, embarrassed me and then last night…" she choked back a sob "Please, I don't…I don't know what I've done to make you like this but I-I can't…I can't take it anymore. Please let me go."

The Uchiha was silent, and she looked up at him again, her gaze pleading. He could see her trying to find something, some sort of reaction or expression on his face and found nothing. She tried to pull away again, turning her face away from him. He knew at this point that she was crying, probably more from frustration than anything else.

"Uchiha-san…"

"No." it seemed that he wasn't capable of any other word tonight.

"Why?" tears were sliding down pale cheeks, her expression confused, hurt, and something else he couldn't identify "Why are you doing this? Why me?"

"I don't know!" he snapped, trying to keep his voice down "I just don't know. All I know is that whenever I'm around you…" he pulled her wrist until she was pressed against him, his other hand wiping at her tears. He wasn't good with words like this, he wasn't romantic and he did nothing that he was supposed to do whenever she was around. "I don't like this either but I can't…I can't _help_ it. Just you being around me…I can't ever think straight." He put a frustrated hand through his hair "Ever since that night at the hotel it's been like this."

There was silence save for her occasional sniffles. Hinata spoke up again "Y-you…do you…do you l-like me?"

He glared down at her but it was short lived. "I want you." He answered honestly and he almost smirked when her face turned a bright red "I hate the fact that you have feelings for Naruto, I hate seeing you around other guys and I haven't been able to get you out of my head. It's frustrating, infuriating and I have no fucking clue how to deal with it besides just staying away from you."

_So yeah, I probably like you._ He admitted to himself. He wasn't saying it out loud, she could ask as many times as she wanted. When he put it all out on the table like that he'd have to be living a special kind of denial as to his feelings for her.

Sasuke didn't want a girlfriend; he didn't want any sort of relationship at all with anyone. If he involved himself with anyone it'd be someone he would seriously consider marrying; he didn't have time or the patience for anything else. If he _did_ find a woman that was it. There would be no 'I'm leaving you' or 'I want a divorce', once with him always with him because he _did not make mistakes_. This included his choice for a woman.

But it wasn't going to happen, because it'd lead to children and Konoha would be more than happy to snatch them up and manipulate them and he'd rather _die_ than let that happen. The Uchiha legacy was going down with him. If he ever tried to restore his clan it wouldn't be in Konoha.

For a long time they stood there in silence, his hand still on her wrist and pressed against him.

"S-Sasuke-san…" she began, breaking the silence "What…what do you want?"

It was a good question, but he had no answer. He wanted her, but he didn't want her. He wanted her in his life but then he didn't want her anywhere near him. Everything was ass backwards and twisted with her. "Everything and nothing." Was the eventual answer.

She didn't understand and he couldn't blame her. He didn't know how he could explain it to her properly, he just knew that as long as she was around him he would want her; have to have her near. It wasn't something he liked at all because it meant that he held some sort of dependency on her and he couldn't afford to be dependent on anyone for any reason.

He leaned down until their foreheads were touching "Even if I wanted a girlfriend, we're incompatible." He murmured "Your position alone would kill anything between us. I'm considered a traitor, the village will never accept me. They'd want you to produce heirs and I'm not…" his eyes narrowed "that village isn't going to get the satisfaction of manipulating any kids of mine. I don't want them, I don't even like them to be honest. They wanted me, they got me. They're not getting anything else."

She didn't argue with him because she couldn't; he was absolutely correct. Whatever this insane attraction he had to her couldn't happen. Ever. The Hyuuga would be on his back unless they agreed with the council about hybrids from two powerful doujutsu lineages. Even then the Hyuuga would probably try to take his children and that was worse than letting Konoha's council manipulate them.

"Sasuke-san…you're talking about marriage and…"

"I'm not going to waste my time on a woman I'm not going to spend the rest of my life with." He cut in "It's all or nothing."

"Oh…" was all she could say.

The Uchiha sighed "Look, I'll try to be less of a bastard to you but Nakamura is pissing me off with all his flirting." She giggled and he put his arm around her waist, pulling her closer "Your laugh is really cute." He said offhandedly, distracted by her.

Her face turned an even brighter shade of red and she turned her head away "S-Sasuke-san…what we're doing…you holding me and us…like this. This is what people in a relationship do." There was discomfort in her tone.

"I know. I told you, I can't help it."

"This…this makes things really difficult."

He sighed "Yeah." Reluctantly he forced himself to let her go and take a step back. Her cheeks were still red along with her eyes and nose from crying earlier. Her stance was somewhat defensive, one arm was around her and she was positioned so that her body was somewhat sideways from him, as if ready to bolt if need be. Hinata avoided his gaze and he couldn't help but stare.

This was fate laughing at him. Karma coming back to kick his ass. Not only was he forced to return to the village he hated most but now he was attracted to the last female in the village he should be involved with. Even better, karma and fate were making it so that the attraction was a powerful one, something he couldn't avoid no matter how hard he tried. He wanted her, gods did he want her, and it really was screwing with him. He had hoped to be given a few years before all of his deeds came back to haunt him, no such luck.

To top it off, this was probably what his brother had wanted for him. To live life, which could easily be translated into 'get married, have a family, grow old and die'. He couldn't do it, he could _not_ do it while still attached to Konoha. There was no life for him there, no reason to live the way Itachi probably wanted him to.

"I…I'm sorry Sasuke-san." She said and the apology could be for any number of things. She began to back away "I…I should go look around and make sure everything is safe."

He didn't bother to mention that she could easily do that with her Byakugan; he needed the out just as much as she. "Yeah. Let me know when it's my turn." She gave him a small nod and he went inside his tent. He did not sleep; his thoughts were too turbulent and confusing for him to get any rest.

How was he going to get through this mission when it was already like this on the first day?


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Nakamura didn't know it but their little group was being followed. It had been going on for a few days, there were about six of them, shinobi. They were somewhat intelligent as they were keeping out of the standard range of a Byakugan user. Unfortunately for them, Hinata's Byakugan allowed her to see within a ten kilometer radius. Tsunade hadn't been joking when she said Hinata's sight was the best out of her entire clan, just as Neji was possibly the strongest Gentle Fist user. Sasuke had learned that Hinata's extraordinary ability was due to her strenuously trying to stretch the limits of her sight, down to even finding tiny things like bugs and creatures. She had done this for a number of years, which had resulted in her massive range abilities.

For a kunoichi, she was strong. During his initial spars with her he had noticed it then, although his head had been in a different place. Her taijutsu was solid and her aim was excellent. She glided through her moves; they were never jerky or awkward. Her old team was considered to be one of the best tracking teams around. Hinata lacked strength and speed, the former she really didn't need to worry about. The Gentle Fist wasn't supposed to be a heavy hitter, strength was meaningless. Speed, however, was something she could work on. He debated on offering; he had avoided trying to train her ever since Tsunade had placed him on bodyguard duty. He had been pretty pissed off about that, it really hadn't been his fault that she had burned out; she hadn't said shit to him about everything _else_ she did during the day. He wasn't psychic and she had improved. They accused him of being a 'bully'. It had been only half true; that was his story and he was sticking to it.

With Hinata being able to see the enemy's movements the two of them had gone over a solid plan and decided Nakamura didn't need to know. Hinata was to take control of that situation; he would be there to beat faces in. After dealing with Nakamura and his confusing feelings for Hinata, killing some people had him a little excited. Not too long ago killing others meant nothing to him unless they were people of importance. Killing still meant nothing to him, he just didn't voice it out loud.

Two days before they reached the port that would take them to Snow Country the six shinobi attacked. It was midday and the three travelers were taking the main roads. No verbal or physical signals were used; when Hinata activated her Byakugan and saw them closing in she walked ahead of Nakamura to Sasuke's side. It was only for a moment, not long enough for the rich man to make a complaint. She kept her Byakugan activated and right when they were almost within striking range she spoke.

"Two underground, two east, two are hanging back south of us and the final two are southeast." Before Nakamura could say anything Hinata walked to his side and put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a small smile "Don't worry." She reassured him.

The two underground came out first in a large explosion of dirt and dust right behind Hinata. Immediately she turned; kunai in hand. Another pair emerged heading for Sasuke and he reached behind him for his sword Sharingan spinning.

The enemies so far were male and held no identifying marks, their clothing being standard issue black on black. Metal clanged as Hinata met with the two behind, pale eyes narrowing. Nakamura's screams could be heard and with her exceptional vision she saw him curled up in a ball on the ground. The others were closing in and quickly.

Pushing the first male back she flipped the kunai back into her bag and blocked a well placed kick to the temple. Immediately she shot chakra from the back of her hand into the closest points and shifted forward with speed worthy of her rank. Six well aimed strikes had the first shinobi crumpling to the ground, just in enough time to dodge the shuriken thrown by his partner.

There were very few shinobi who could face someone like Uchiha Sasuke and live; he was simply too powerful. Upon realizing that the two he was fighting were about jounin rank in terms of skill he quickly dispatched them via decapitation. Head jerking to the left, he leapt forward into the forest, ramming a knee into one of the attackers right as he emerged from the edge. There was a coughing sound and his mask began to darken with the color of blood. He seemed to 'disappear' and 'reappear' to the right of Nakamura, blocking the enemy from digging a kunai into his client's skull. He ignored the coward's whining and inclined his head towards Hinata.

"How hard is it to take out two shinobi?" he bit at her although he was smirking. Right as he said that Hinata's hands slammed into the second enemy, sending him flying from the Sixty-Four Palms technique. She ignored him and moved to the left, avoiding being hit by a massive spiked ball. Intrigued, Sasuke spun and cleaved the other man in half effortlessly.

The ball, which had a thick metal chain on it, retracted faster than he would have thought possible to its owner, a massive male of about seven feet and a large build. The man wore only pants and was bald with scars and random tattoos covering almost his entire body. He caught the spiked ball with one hand and the other hand held a rather interesting looking spiked mace. The male shot forward at incredible speed towards Hinata, throwing the massive ball towards her once again.

There was a thud as the ball connected, but it wasn't to its intended target. The Uchiha stood in its path, his arms around the object almost as big as his body. Beady black eyes widened on the enemy's face at this and he tried to pull it back and found himself unable to.

"Is that it?" the Uchiha asked, sounding almost bored "You're that huge and this is all you can do?"

The taunt worked. The big man bellowed a loud roar and continued to charge forward, mace ready to strike the smaller male down.

There was a scream to Sasuke's left and he looked briefly to see several kunai embedded in his partner's chest as she blocked the last shinobi's path to their client. The enemy shinobi, a very thin and pretty male, was grinning as he drove the edge of his scythe into her body.

It took him a second to kill the huge beast in front of him as Hinata's body disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the scythe stuck in a block of wood. Enraged, the man shook off the block and swiped at the client's head and he too disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Not very bright, are we?" the teen said low, suddenly behind the scythe-wielding male. Frustrated, the pretty man let out some sort of high pitched battle cry and swung his weapon with amazing speed, trying to slice Sasuke in half. He missed as the younger male began to move back towards the forest. The scythe wielder began to swing wildly at the Uchiha, growing more and more angry at the cocky smirk on his pale face.

Right as Sasuke backed towards a tree the scythe carrier successfully managed to lop off Sasuke's head. This would have brought him great joy had the body not turned into mush, sinking into the ground to form a puddle.

"Genjutsu?" the low tenor of the enemy shinobi realized, although it was too late. Hinata suddenly emerged from the tree he was standing right in front of as if she were a tree nymph. He hesitated one second too many and the next thing he knew he was lying face up on the ground, his body unable to move. He heard dark chuckling above him.

"It took you that long to figure it out?" The Uchiha drawled "All six of you were caught in it the moment you were in range."

Pain exploded in the man's head and then he was unconscious.

xxxxx

"I-is..is that all of them…Hinata-chan?" Nakamura asked nervously, all but hiding behind the female. To be honest, she wasn't very comfortable with him clinging on him; Hyuuga were not normally physical individuals. They were trained to look and be emotionless, things like intimacy and affection did not exist in such a strict environment. Only her teammates were the exception and that was only because they had forced her out of her shell, at least around them.

Well, and then there was Sasuke.

Why she allowed him to kiss her she had no idea, it had just happened and she had just not resisted. It made absolutely no sense; he had yet to be honestly kind to her since their first encounter. He was gruff, very sarcastic at times – she assumed this was because he had very little to live for and thusly life seemed like a big joke to him – mentally unstable, _very_ impatient, violent, and borderline cruel.

On the other hand, he had also saved her life more than once. More than once the Uchiha had taken a kunai to the back for her and he never complained. He never blamed her even when he should have and if she had been injured he would do what he could with his limited knowledge of medical jutsu. He didn't have to take those blows; he was fast and incredibly powerful, on par with Naruto. If he had really wanted to, he could have let her die so many times, it wasn't as if he wouldn't be able to find another way to get his seals removed if it was an 'accident' and 'beyond his control'. But those months where he had been assigned to protect her, he had gone above and beyond in his duties.

Then there were the looks he gave her. After that night when he had first taken a blade for her he had done something very strange that she was sure had confused the both of them. After that he was less snappish around her, he would even compliment her offhand from time to time. She would catch him staring at her with those black eyes of his, seeming emotionless. Hinata knew better, he wouldn't stare unless he had a reason to.

Then once his assignment concluded he completely disappeared from her life. He went out of his way to avoid her, blatantly so. It had hurt a little, she had thought that at the end they had seemed to reach some sort of impasse. Whenever they had accidently bumped into each other he hadn't been rude to her or anything, he would simply glance at her and then walk away. She had known that he didn't hate her; he'd be an asshole then, but she didn't understand his distance and silence.

Until the other night.

"_This is why…I've been avoiding you."_

She fought the urge to blush, instead focusing her attentions on the man Sasuke was currently tying up. Hinata wasn't sure how she should feel about everything involving him; he had avoided her so as not to push himself on her, which was admirable and endearing. Then he had screamed at her and drove her away. She had known it then, that he was just trying to push her away, but it hadn't made the words sting any less. If he hadn't stopped, would she have? She didn't know and that was a little frightening to her. This wasn't just any man she was beginning to hold feelings for, this was Uchiha Sasuke, traitor, murderer. He was only a part of Konoha because he had to be and from what she could gather, he had no intentions of settling down like they wanted him to. As a member of a powerful clan herself she knew that the elders were probably hoping that he would begin to rebuild his clan and start from scratch; no one truly wanted to lose the amazing powers of the Sharingan.

"…_that village isn't going to get the satisfaction of manipulating any kids of mine."_

Hinata could understand his feelings, but she also understood that was the reason he was trying so hard to avoid her. Based on everything he had told her so far, he liked her but understood that anything between them would be impossible. She was sure he didn't even really want to have feelings for her. It explained all of his strange behavior in regards to her since the beginning; he had been acting like a little boy with a crush on a girl; like a twelve year old. Except he was incredibly powerful and his 'love taps' had been anything but.

She sighed, unsure of herself. Hinata had no idea how she felt about him, or if she should try to feel anything at all. It wasn't as if he was wrong about the impossibility of their relationship, she understood and didn't blame him for wanting to keep away from her. Did she like him? Well, she had liked him enough to allow her to kiss her, to hold her. When he wanted to, he could be very gentle, almost cute. It helped a bit that he was just as confused as she.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

Driven from her thoughts by Nakamura's quivering voice she noticed that he was walking towards the two men she had incapacitated, his sword drawn. A sick feeling moved from the pit of her stomach to her throat. She understood that sometimes it had to be done but this…

There had been no hesitation when the Uchiha drove his blade through the throats of the remaining two. Nakamura was panicking; he didn't understand why Sasuke was killing them even though they were already defeated.

"I don't like leaving loose ends." He said coldly, but he was looking at her as he said it.

_This is what I am_. His eyes seemed to say to her _Don't ever forget it._

How could she, when everything about him, even his aura, screamed '_Kill!_'?

"There's a town two miles south of here." Sasuke murmured, hoisting the surviving enemy over his shoulder "We'll get a room and question him there." He looked at Hinata "Once you purchase the room send me a signal, I don't think I'll get very far carrying this guy through."

The Hyuuga nodded and gently guided the shaken Nakamura along. It took him a while but he eventually calmed down although he was – thankfully – silent. It wasn't until they reached the town and began to look for an inn that he began to shift back to his arrogant self.

"Why don't you leave the room arrangements to me?" he asked "You two are doing a lot and I have plenty of money at my disposal."

There was a tight feeling in her stomach about it, but she agreed, not wanting to be rude. How bad could it be right?

When they reached the room Hinata almost had a heart attack. Sasuke was going to be absolutely _livid_. One bed to three people?

"I was thinking that perhaps Hinata-chan and I could share –" Nakamura had tried to explain once Sasuke finally arrived with his burden.

"No." the Uchiha had said firmly, his crimson eyes narrowing. He looked at her "There are two men and one woman, take the couch Hyuuga."

She nodded as Nakamura exploded with fury "What? What sort of man lets a lady sleep on the couch while he takes the bed?"

Sasuke blinked "She's not a lady," he corrected "She's a shinobi." A slow smirk emerged "But since you're so adamant about it, _you_ can sleep on the couch and I'll share with Hyuuga."

Hinata couldn't help giggling as the two men argued back and forth as to who would be sleeping where…or rather, who would be sleeping with _her_ on the bed. She'd prefer Sasuke since he probably wouldn't try to feel her up – and even if he did she didn't think she'd protest too much – and he actually looked rather tired. Out of the entire week they had been traveling she had yet to see him rest his eyes for longer than two hours.

So in the end, Hinata jumped in "Uchiha-san can take the bed, he needs the rest; Nakamura-san can take either and I'll sleep on the floor."

Both men just stared at her and she blinked back at them owlishly. Nakamura tried to protest but Sasuke shrugged it off, appearing to not care one way or the other. Nakamura, however, didn't see the look that flashed in the shinobi's blood red eyes as he regarded Hinata, obviously amused by her antics.

She had a feeling one way or the other she'd be sleeping on the bed tonight.

xxxxx

There were only murmurs at first. A soft voice, gentle and definitely female. A deep rumble, definitely male. There was another male but he sounded too high pitched, almost whiny. He tried to fight through the haze and pain to open his eyes, a painful scowl emerging. Bello tried to move his body and failed, he could feel ropes around him but that wasn't all that was keeping him in place.

That girl, the pale eyed one. She had…done something to him. She had barely touched him yet the pain had been quite extreme. Her eyes had looked strange as well, chakra filled veins had surrounded…wait. So that's what the Hyuuga were all about. What a frightening technique, blocking off chakra points and rendering their victims immobile.

They had all been told that the Uchiha was powerful and not to underestimate him. It had been difficult when his chakra levels had seemed so low and the girl had seemed only somewhat competent.

"_All six of you were caught in it the moment you were in range."_

Those two had been ready for them, but how? They had been informed about the Hyuuga's standard range and they had kept back an even further distance just in case. How did they realize they were being tailed?

_That…that bitch must have lied to us…_ he thought bitterly _Knowing her she probably sent us out here to gauge just how strong the Uchiha was._

Except that little had been accomplished. All of them had been stuck in the genjutsu, who knew what skills and power the Uchiha truly possessed?

"So you're awake." Bello heard the deep rumble of the Uchiha's voice. The dark haired male knelt down so that they were eye level. It was hard for him to focus, but there was no mistaking those red eyes. They were cold, a promise of death beneath the surface. "I have some questions for you."

The man grinned. He was going to die anyway, why should he tell him anything? "I'm not telling _you_ anything, Uchiha." He spat the name as if it were something disgusting.

Instead of looking offended, the man smiled. It wasn't a humorous smile, it was a smile that promised pain, torture, and eventually death. Eventually.

A hand fisted into his hair and pulled his head back. "Actually," the Uchiha murmured and suddenly Bello could see the man's eyes change drastically "You're going to tell me _exactly_ what I want to know."

xxxxx

It had taken less than five minutes. Hinata watched as Sasuke merely looked at the man while he began to shake and sweat. The Uchiha's face was calm, emotionless but focused. Every so often the enemy would twitch or shudder, but that was it. She had no idea what sort of genjutsu Sasuke was putting the man through and she honestly didn't want to find out. He was efficient but brutal, he showed absolutely no mercy to anyone he perceived as an 'enemy'.

After five minutes the long-haired shinobi's body jerked a few times rather violently before his eyes rolled to the back of his head. He slumped down to the ground with a dull thud. She didn't have to ask Sasuke if the man was still alive.

"Is…is that man dead?" Nakamura all but shrieked the question at Sasuke, his face paling. She couldn't help but feel sympathetic, this man was a civilian, he had probably never even seen a dead body until today. It wasn't a pleasurable experience.

Instead of responding the Uchiha lifted the dead man back over his shoulder and looked at Hinata. "Take him out so he can get the food he so desperately wanted a few days ago." He informed her "I'll take care of this." He made a series of hand seals with one hand – how did he do that? – and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

There was the sound of someone shivering and the Hyuuga turned to see Nakamura slumped down on the ground, his eyes blank, face pale.

"M…monster…" she heard him mutter "He's…he's a complete monster."

Her face melts into the emotionless Hyuuga mask with ease, not wanting to show an opinion either way. Once upon a time he had been a monster; he had slipped down so far into darkness and insanity that she honestly had no idea what Naruto did or said that brought him back. Or maybe dying had something to do with it, she had no idea. All she knew was that he wasn't the same as he had been a year and a half ago. He was cruel, brutal, and frightening, but that was what he showed everyone. That was what he wanted them to see and a lot of it was what he _wanted_ to believe he should be. Hyuuga eyes couldn't see everything like the rumors said, but Hinata had always had a knack for seeing the good in a person even when everyone focused on the bad. Naruto had been a perfect example of this.

"We should hurry before it gets dark, Nakamura-san." She said politely, helping him stand and steady himself. He was still shaken but he was recovering now that the Uchiha wasn't actually in the room. His eyes flickered to hers.

"You're not…he doesn't bother you at all?" the man wanted to know.

She shook her head "If he wanted to kill us he would have done so by now," she explained and if possible he became even paler "there are a lot of things that he doesn't have to do but…but he does them anyway."

"Doesn't he scare you?"

"He did." She admitted "We should go, Nakamura-san."

xxxxx

The two shinobi ignored the light snoring coming over from the couch as their client slept. Sasuke was sitting on the bed while Hinata was sitting in a chair across from him.

"They're a part of a small organization that's highly unorganized," he explained to her "They're just a bunch of people that are disgruntled about the fact that I'm still alive." He smirked "There seems to be a leader, a female, but he didn't know too much about her personally. He thought that she was a civilian with a lot of money, which narrows down the suspects only slightly." He shrugged.

"So this organization has been hiring people to try and kill you?"

A brief nod "Many of them aren't even hired, they volunteered. If there's anyone to be concerned about in that group he didn't know about it. The woman that sold us out all those months ago was the only insider they had from Konoha that he knows of." His smirk turned into a slight scowl "Tch. We got something and nothing at the same time. He wasn't anyone important, just a jounin-level shinobi."

Hinata bit her bottom lip "Well, if they know of your reputation then why would they send people they know would be unable to beat you?"

"I don't know." He said honestly "The guy suspected that the leader had sent them out to gauge how powerful I really am, but that obviously failed. It's not easy to acquire powerful fighters, it'll be a while before they try and strike at me again. Then there's the people that are after Nakamura."

"Um well," Hinata looked thoughtful "I've scouted around like you asked but I couldn't find anyone suspicious. Nakamura-san wasn't as adventurous as he usually is, so I didn't have to worry about him sneaking off on a whim." She gave Sasuke a sad smile "He's terrified of you."

If he cared, he certainly didn't look it "I don't expect the guys after Nakamura to be anything special, the guys targeting him seemed like your typical rich tyrant." He shrugged "I dealt with guys like them on my first 'C-Rank' mission." The way he said 'C-Rank' led Hinata to believe that it hadn't been as easy as it should have been.

"Well, we're two days away from the port," Hinata began "if they want to strike they would have to do so before or sneak on the boat and try to assassinate him that way." She frowned "They might even try to poison his food and we wouldn't be able to do much about it."

"The ride isn't that long, he'll eat what we bring on board." She nodded, finding that reasonable. "He likes you more than he likes me so keep an eye on him so he doesn't do anything stupid."

She gave him a small giggle "You two really dislike each other." Sasuke snorted and then shrugged.

Plans made Hinata walked over to grab some extra blankets to put on the floor. She felt the Uchiha's eyes on her but whenever she glanced at him he seemed to be looking off in the distance. Shrugging it off she finished her little 'bed' and went to get extra pillows. When she returned, Sasuke was lying in her pallet, back turned towards her. Confusion spread over her face; wasn't he supposed to take the bed?

"Go to sleep, Hinata." He said softly, still not turning to look at her. A slow smile drifted, he really could be kind when he wanted to be…just in his own way.

"You need the sleep more than I do." She said anyway, knowing he would probably protest "I know you haven't been sleeping, the bed will help."

He didn't say anything until she sighed and began to walk towards the bed. "I can't sleep for too long." He admitted but didn't elaborate.

Nightmares. She was sure that's what he meant. Considering his past, one could only guess the sorts of horrible dreams the fallen avenger had. She began to wring her hands, feeling for him. "M-maybe sleeping on the bed will help, e-even if it's just for a few hours."

This time he did turn to her, his eyes still crimson. He was at a point where it cost him little to no chakra to keep the Sharingan up. He probably didn't even realize that he hadn't deactivated his bloodline limit much today. His face was unreadable "If you sleep with me, I'll sleep on the bed." He said flatly.

Her face heated. Hinata had a feeling he was only saying that because he felt it would stop the argument. Sasuke could probably be dead on his feet with exhaustion and still perform his mission wonderfully but that didn't mean she had to like it. It was difficult for her to see anyone suffer and the bags under his eyes and his pale pallor spoke volumes. She took a small breath.

"Alright." She said, her voice unwavering. His eyes widened for just a moment and then they shifted back to his normal dark grey shade. Hinata sat on the bed as he got up on his knees, looking at her. They were like that for a long while, dark eyes looking into white ones. Hinata couldn't tell at all what he was thinking, his expression was so blank. Then he shifted, moving closer to her. She let out a small gasp when he gently pressed his forehead to hers, his hand splaying along her hip.

"You're making this _very_ difficult, Hyuuga." He murmured, his mouth moving dangerously close to hers.

"T-then you should…you shouldn't have said it…i-if you weren't serious." She stammered out, feeling nervous. Would he kiss her? Would she stop him? His hand felt warm along her side. She felt rather than saw him smile wryly.

"I never go back on my word." It sounded as if he wanted to say something else but refrained. Pulling back, he looked at her again, frowning slightly. Hinata saw it, the confusion. He wasn't sure what he truly wanted to do and she knew it wasn't just concerning them sleeping on the same bed. She saw him open his mouth to speak and then once again refrained. Instead he rose and wrapped his arms around her as he sat on the bed. He pulled her until she was lying in the middle, his arms still around her waist. His breath was warm against her neck as he buried his face in. Arms tightened and her back was practically flush with his front. He made no further advances, he just held her, his face buried into her hair and the crook of her neck.

"Sasuke…" she began, confusion in her voice.

"Go to sleep, Hinata." He said low "Next time, I won't let you call my bluff."

After that there was silence. She found herself unable to sleep at first so she looked out the window of their room. Eventually she felt his grip on her grow slack, his breathing slowed and became even. Without thinking, she found herself putting a hand over his in a comforting gesture. In response he laced their fingers together while still asleep. Hinata felt herself smile.

Uchiha Sasuke was a lot of things on the outside and rarely showed anything internally. Now here he was, holding her and actually allowing himself to feel comfortable enough to truly rest. She knew she was the only one he would do this with and it made her feel…cherished. It also confirmed that whatever he did feel for her, it was genuine. More than likely nothing would ever come of it, but it felt nice to be attracted to someone and they _return_ her feelings. It felt good to be valued by someone in such a manner.

Nakamura was wrong; Sasuke was a lot of horrible things, but he wasn't a monster. Not anymore.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

xxxxx

Sasuke looked absolutely murderous while Hinata gently patted Nakamura's back as he deposited the contents of his stomach into the ocean. She could feel his crimson glare pointed at their client and she mentally sighed. She had to admit that this time, his anger was somewhat justified.

"You could have _told_ us you get sea sick." Her partner snarled "There's medicine for that we could have gotten for you."

"Ah," Hinata interjected "I actually did have some medicine but…" she looked down at her client "it doesn't do any good to take it once you're already sick."

"That doesn't help his case, Hyuuga." He sounded disgusted since Nakamura had made another retching noise right as he spoke.

She gave him a nervous smile "W-well um…at least…at l-least we don't have to worry about him taking off without us?" she offered.

"Tch." He shoved his hands in his pockets and turned away although she spotted the small smirk that he had tried to hide "Only _you_ would find something good out of this travesty."

The Hyuuga smiled and tried not to laugh. She was sure Nakamura wouldn't appreciate it.

"I forgot okay?" the man in question gurgled out, his face green "I-it's not like I-I ride on b-boats often…"

Sasuke gave the man a look and Hinata fought the urge to sigh. At least he was trying not to snap at him so much. That was progress, right?

"I'm going to go get this genius some saltine crackers and water," the Uchiha murmured, still sounding disgusted. "Make sure he doesn't do anything else _stupid_ like fall overboard."

So much for holding back snappy comments. She sighed out loud this time as their client tried to reply back but instead threw up again. Wrinkling his nose at the man as if he were contagious, Sasuke stalked off.

"I hate him…" the client said weakly and Hinata continued to rub circles along his back. More than likely, the feeling was mutual.

"It'll be alright Nakamura-san," she tried to reassure him "Once you eat the crackers and drink some water you'll feel better."

"So much rocking…" he moaned "Why do boats have to rock so much…"

Hinata suddenly activated her Byakugan, feeling a slight jump in someone's chakra. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary but the chakra wasn't Sasuke's; she knew that much.

"Mama, mama look! That girl, she has really neat eyes!"

Embarrassed, she deactivated the Byakugan to face a young-looking mother and her daughter. Both girl and mother had bright blue eyes. The girl's hair was short and black while the mother's hair was a light brown. The older woman gave her daughter a frown.

"You shouldn't go around pointing at people Maya." The mother said "It's very rude. Please apologize to the nice lady."

Hinata's face heated even more when the little girl looked sheepish but then bowed respectfully "I'm very sorry." The girl said politely.

"Ah…" she gave the girl a nervous smile "It's alright, I don't mind." The smile strengthened "It's not very often someone likes eyes like mine."

The girl looked stunned "Why not?" she asked "They're really pretty! Like pearls." She looked up at her mother "Don't you think Lady-san's eyes look like pearls mama?"

The mother looked just as embarrassed as Hinata "Miss, I'm so sorry, my daughter is very straight forward you see and…"

Hinata shook her head "N-no it's fine. My name is Hinata." She said, not wanting to give out her last name. Tsunade didn't say that they had to act as anything but bodyguards but the Hyuuga name was infamous. "Thank you very much for your kind words Maya-san."

The girl beamed at her "You're welcome!" she blinked "Hey, your name is like your eyes, all bright and stuff!"

At this point she could feel her ears heating up "Ah…well…"

Strong arms came around her middle and she was pulled up to her feet. Her back was pressed into something solid as the arms tightened around her. Dark hair appeared in her peripheral as Sasuke's chin rested on her shoulder "They are beautiful, aren't they?" he said with a low drawl. She felt his fingers brush along her temple "I tell her that all the time but she doesn't believe me." His dark gaze shifted to the little girl and the smile he gave her would have looked genuine to anyone who didn't know him. To her it looked forced "Maybe now that you've told her she'll believe me, what do you think?"

The mother blushed at the display of intimacy and began to tug her daughter along. "I'm so sorry again Hinata-san, please excuse us."

"Bye bye!" the girl called and the two disappeared down below. Even when they were out of view he didn't let go of her. Embarrassed beyond belief she tried to move out of his grip but he didn't let her.

"I don't know how you didn't notice it," Sasuke began, his lips near her ear "But that little girl's presence was so malicious I thought she was going to kill you at any moment." He let go of her then and walked over to Nakamura, tossing him a package of crackers "Eat it." He commanded "Then we'll take you down to the cabin so you can get some water and sleep. Idiot." The last part was muttered.

Eyes wide, Hinata spun on Sasuke, startled "What?"

His dark gaze shifted back to crimson "That little girl," he repeated "she wanted to kill you. I don't even know how you didn't sense it, _I_ sensed it while I was coming up the stairs." The Uchiha frowned then, as if in thought.

"I…" Hinata began but she had nothing to say. That cute little girl had wanted to…kill her? It was unbelievable, it didn't make any sense. Maybe the mother for some bizarre reason but a girl who looked barely ten years old? "R-really?" was all she eventually managed to get out.

He didn't answer her. Instead he helped Nakamura up after he had eaten a good amount of crackers and didn't look as if he was going to puke at any given moment. The Uchiha motioned for her to follow and she did so obediently, her body on autopilot. Instinctively Hinata activated her Byakugan and spotted the mother and child not too far off. Try as she might she couldn't sense anything strange about the girl or the mother. They looked like normal civilians to her. Could he perhaps be mistaken?

Their cabin was very small, consisting of two beds, a small bath and no windows. Nakamura was extremely happy as he collapsed on one of the beds and curled up into a little ball, still nibbling on crackers and moaning every now and then.

Before she realized it her hand was on Sasuke's arm, gaining his attention.

"I couldn't sense anything wrong with my Byakugan." She told him "Even now I can't." she was clearly distressed. Sasuke wouldn't have lied to her and he wouldn't have put up that show of them being a couple just because. Hinata shuddered.

To her surprise he put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close "You really don't sense anything?" he asked, tilting her head so their gazes met.

"No…nothing." She admitted "When I look at them their chakra looks standard for a civilian."

"Look for them again."

Pale eyes blinked up at him blankly "Eh?" she said rather ineloquently. "Um…okay…" immediately she activated the Byakugan and looked around the ship. After a moment her eyes widened, the mother and daughter were no longer on the ship from what she could tell, it was as if they had completely disappeared "W-what is this…?"

"Stay away from them." He said firmly although he wasn't looking at her. "If you don't, there's a high chance you'll be killed."

Byakugan deactivated she looked at him with concern. "D-do you…y-you know them?"

His eyes narrowed, Sharingan shifting "I know _what_ they are."

When he looked as if he wasn't going to elaborate Hinata moved into his line of vision "Sasuke-san, I need to know what I'm dealing with. Please."

He remained silent for so long she thought he wasn't going to answer her. "They're experiments." He carefully explained "Orochimaru had a large amount of labs all over the place, all of them experimenting on different things. They were supposed to be biological weapons that could combat those with bloodline limits. Only five survived and their abilities were imperfect, Orochimaru simply didn't have everything he needed. The lab was destroyed and it was believed that they had all died there. Apparently the reports were wrong."

Hinata tried to digest this "So…you're saying that the reason I can't see them…"

"Is because they're 'immune' to the Byakugan, in a sense." He answered. "To a certain extent they're immune to my Sharingan. You saw what they wanted you to see earlier." There was a small shrug "In terms of actual skill they're on par with chunnin or jounin; strength wasn't the objective for them. They were supposed to be assassins for obvious reasons but when they turned out to be failures they were discarded. No matter how well you know chakra points you still have to see them for the Gentle Fist to work, don't you?"

She hesitated for a moment and then nodded. Without the Byakugan a Hyuuga was basically crippled. They could hit the points by memory but it wouldn't be as efficient and margins for error increased drastically. It was the same as being given a plate of food with no silverware and no fingers and being told to eat. Sure, you could eat the food with only your mouth but it wasn't easy and it was definitely sloppy.

"Just stick by me." He said low and it took her a moment to realize that his arm was still around her and her nose was almost pressing against his chest. He was warm and...comfortable. For some reason she felt safe. Without realizing she pressed herself further against him and he didn't push her away. Instead he looked as if he wanted to say something to her, thought better of it and eventually released her.

"If you die," he warned "I will be very…irritated."

She wasn't sure if she should laugh or feel insulted.

xxxxx

Crimson eyes snapped open in the dark cabin, looking around. Nakamura was finally asleep and Hinata was also resting on the other bed. Quietly he stood up from his spot on the floor and slipped out of the room.

The child was waiting for him at the top deck, leaning against the rails, black hair seeming to almost mix with the darkness of the night as it was whipped around by the wind. She held a smirk on her face as she watched him close the distance and he kept his face perfectly neutral.

Obviously, these two didn't understand who it was they were dealing with.

"I thought you'd come up here sooner or later." The girl chirped "You might as well deactivate your Sharingan, it's useless against me."

The Uchiha stopped walking and her grin spread, confident. He let her keep her smirk for a few seconds before he closed the distance, snatching the girl up by the throat, his other hand beginning to spark with the Chidori. This time he smirked as she paled, now frightened.

"You have no idea what the Sharingan is truly capable of." He informed her "You're out of your league little girl." His hand shifted.

"W-wait!" she exclaimed and he stopped, his expression still blank save for the promise of a painful death flickering in his eyes as his jutsu created light and casted shadows. "Haven't you noticed my 'mother' isn't here?" she grinned despite her throat slowly being crushed by the more powerful male "If you…if you kill me, that girl dies."

"So what." He said coldly and the girl's grin faded once more "Kill her, I don't care. I hate all Konoha shinobi anyway; you'll be doing me a favor."

"Y-you're bluffing…" she continued to struggle against his hold "I saw the way you acted around her earlier!"

A shrug "It was part of my mission, nothing more, nothing less. I only need one of you alive to get the answers I want so…" his grin turned sinister "Goodbye, reject."

"You can't! If you kill me my 'mother' will know and it'll become a huge problem for you once she informs the authorities." She looked absolutely panicked at this point, reaching for straws "You won't be able to get to her so easily! E-even if you could y-you'd have to torture her to g-get the answers, your genjutsu doesn't work on us. E-either way it's t-too much attention a-and you have your mission to complete r-right? It's time sensitive!"

"That's a lot of information you shouldn't be privy to, reject." Once again there was a leak in Konoha. Seriously, how incompetent was that Tsunade anyway? Not that it mattered, there were all sorts of ways he could kill the girl, take the 'mother' and get her off the boat without anyone even realizing what happened. Fortunately for her, that wasn't why he came up here. His smirk remained and the Chidori faded to the girl's relief "I'm going to let you go tonight," he began "not because I'm feeling merciful, quite the opposite really. The two of you can't hide on this boat forever." He released her and she dropped to the ground, coughing and hacking. Kneeling, he grabbed her tiny face with his fingers and turned her to face him, his Sharingan spinning "I'll give you two a head start," he said "I suggest you tell whoever you're working for that you quit, because I'm _going_ to find one of you and when I do…well, you don't really want to know." Standing up, he jerked his thumb to the door that led down to the cabins "Run little mouse," he chuckled "Run."

After scaring the piss out of the 'child' he walked down to his 'cabin' a frown on his face as he walked over to where Hinata had been sleeping. The entire bed was ripped to shreds.

"That lying little bi –" he scowled. He should have killed her. His entire purpose for going up there was to scare them enough to not only leave them alone but give him some sort of clue as to any sort of hideout this group after him held. He didn't need both of them but Hinata would have been upset if he had killed the little girl and thrown her overboard, even if she was an enemy.

_I'm an idiot for letting her feelings sway me._

Irritated, he left the cabin and walked down the hall to another cabin. Before he could even knock Hinata opened the door, her Byakugan activated, a worried expression on her face. She let him inside and he moved over to a desk on the far wall, sitting in one of the chairs. "They fell for the clones." He confirmed for her. "But they won't try to attack us now. Once they leave the boat I'll have another clone trail them while we continue on to the courthouse."

"Are you sure they won't try to separate us and attack?" she asked and he shook his head.

"I scared the hell out of the 'leader' of that little team," he explained "As long as you stay by me you should be fine. I'm not letting you out of my sight."

Even in the darkness he could see her blush and he felt a little idiotic for saying something like that. Why did everything wrong come out of his mouth whenever he spoke to her? Especially when they were alone like this in a small space. Well, there was Nakamura but he was knocked out and he didn't count anyway; he wasn't even a real man in the Uchiha's eyes.

"Ah…" Hinata looked nervous "Sasuke-san…your hand…"

He blinked and looked at his hand which was now holding onto her wrist, thumb moving over sensitive skin. When the hell had that happened?

"Sorry." He said, not sounding sorry at all.

There was a long pause "Um…you're still…holding my wrist Sasuke-san."

"Hn." Was his only response. Really, he was at a point now where he was beginning to not care, it wasn't like he could control himself anyway. And yes, he realized he was treading on _very_ dangerous ground but there honestly wasn't anything he could do about it. Not while she was so near to him and the desire for her was so strong.

The Hyuuga looked down at her feet sadly "If you…if you keep doing this, Sasuke-san…I m-might start liking you."

Instead of losing his grip his hand tightened and he stood up, pulling her closer. "Is that such a bad thing?" he found himself asking.

White eyes lifted to meet red and she frowned "I…but you…you said that…"

"I know what I said." He muttered, dipping his head to breathe in her fragrance "But the more I'm around you like this the less I care about the consequences." His free hand was moving up and down her arm slowly "When it's like this all I can think about is how much I want you."

Hinata made a strangled little noise and shook her head "B-but then you'd…w-we'd get back to the village and…you'd go back to a-avoiding me."

He couldn't deny it so he didn't. Once he was a safe enough distance from her and his mind started working right he would realize that he needed to stay the hell away from her or else; just like last time. Even though he liked her now they wouldn't even be able to be friends, it was just too difficult for him to not want to be with her.

A part of him, the irrational part that was obviously mentally disabled when it came to this female, was seriously considering his options. If he truly became a Konoha shinobi his chances of being with her would increase dramatically; he was sure the Hyuuga would be all over it. Regardless of who he ended up with he was prime material because he was the only one left who possessed the Sharingan and once he died it was gone. Forever. Of course, he'd have to risk everyone and their mothers trying to manipulate and twist his children around to their benefit and that was where he drew the line. There were other options but his mind wasn't _that_ irrational yet.

But this irrational part of him wanted to stop holding back and just make her _his_. This part of him knew that all he'd have to do was push and she'd practically melt in his arms. She already liked him, he wasn't stupid or blind. Even though he had zero real experience with dating a female it hadn't seemed to matter to Hinata. He had been himself and she still found him attractive. Even Sakura found herself disgusted by certain sides to him. He wouldn't even have to work at it to get her to love him.

The rational part of him, which was actually larger than the irrational part of him under normal circumstances, thought this was a horrible idea. Hinata was too gentle to deal with the stress being with him would bring. The hatred, ridicule, and disdain. People that had once liked her wouldn't want anything to do with her; they would constantly talk about her behind her back. He was fine with it, she probably wouldn't be able to handle it as well. It was times like this where he wished he was that cold hearted bastard again just so he could stop wanting to give a damn. He hated the way she made him feel, especially because he _couldn't_ shake it.

A sigh escaped "Then you're going to have to push me away." He eventually responded "Because I can't help it. I don't even realize what I'm doing half the time when I'm alone with you."

A painful expression emerged on her beautiful face "What if you won't let me?"

"I don't know."

xxxxx

"Sweet, sweet land! How I've missed you!" Nakamura cried, practically flinging himself from the stairs to touch down and even kiss the ground below him. He even ignored the fact that the path was mixed with ice and slush from being traveled on. Hinata giggled at the man's antics, Sasuke looked disgusted and would have stepped on him to move forward had Hinata not grabbed his arm and pulled him around their client. She was getting real comfortable with touching him and he wasn't sure if he should snap at her for it or just ignore it. Unlike with everyone else, he actually liked it when she touched him, but that was also bad for many reasons.

_This mission needs to be done and over with already before I lose my mind. Again._

The Uchiha didn't even look back to see if the other two were following and after a few steps he could hear Hinata trying to gently coax their client into getting up before they were left behind. He didn't encounter the woman and 'child' but he hadn't expected to. The clone would be taking care of that.

It would take them almost another week to reach the town where the trial would be taking place and they would have to stop and rest at inns because the environment was too cold and stiff to camp out comfortably. Snow Country was exactly that, full of snow. It was always snowing and there were storms and blizzards from time to time. Right now the weather was rather mild, only a light dusting. Adjusting his cloak he looked back once to see if they were close enough. Thankfully Hinata had finally gotten the man up although Nakamura didn't quite have his 'land legs' back and was very wobbly. The skinny little man was clinging a little too tightly on the female and he turned his head from the scene. He needed to place better control over his actions and feelings before something bad happened.

The pained expression that had been on Hinata's face that night was still bothering him. It had said so much and he was one hundred percent the cause. She liked him, and even though she knew it couldn't happen she had, for a time hoped. Even now she did, which was why it was so painful knowing that he would disconnect himself from her once the mission was over. He didn't know why but this girl, despite everything he had done to her thus far, _liked_ him. Not only liked him, wanted to be with him, even though he flat out told her he wasn't looking for anything short of a wife if he got involved. So what did that mean? It opened up so many questions and a lot of the answers he didn't want to know.

Everything concerning the two of them was becoming so complicated. She still plagued his thoughts and his dreams, he thought about her all the time. He had been enraged when he found out those two women had lied about not killing Hinata. It had taken a lot to not track them down and put them out of their misery. Slowly and painfully. The closer they became the harder it was for him to want to shake her off. There was also the fact that Hinata was Naruto's friend; he couldn't avoid her forever. What if they were paired together on another mission? Tsunade seemed to like them as a team since it had been working so well before. Everything he would have built up would crumble once again and gods forbid if she actually _rejected_ him. He would have to demand Tsunade not to pair him up with her or the results would be disastrous. If Hinata got fed up with him and moved on…he wasn't entirely sure if he'd be able to control the anger he'd feel towards her for it. Even if she was justified. It sounded so _fucked up_ when he thought about it; damned if he did, damned if he didn't.

_Just focus on the mission for now. Leave it alone._

Remembering the map that they had shown them briefly he knew that there was another town ten miles ahead and half the day was already gone. It would take them hours if they walked, Nakamura was just too slow. They didn't really want to carry him unless absolutely necessary so more than likely they would have to stick at the port town for today and head out really early in the morning. Sticking around had been fine with Nakamura, predictably, so they found the inn and Sasuke got two rooms, one for Hinata and the client and one for himself. He had to separate himself from Hinata at night; that was when he always seemed to react the most. Nakamura had been grateful because he found Sasuke's presence intimidating, Hinata had understood but he had seen the bit of sadness in her gaze. He hated that it bothered him to see her like that.

The first day out the Uchiha began to wonder where were the assassins and mercenaries that were supposed to be after this guy. So far everyone who had attacked had been after him, not Nakamura. If he wasn't so eager to relieve some stress from this entire ordeal he would have been glad to not have been bothered. As it was, right now Sasuke needed to beat _someone's_ head in. He was frustrated, in more ways than one, and he had no outlet for it. He couldn't train because he couldn't leave the idiot – Nakamura - behind. He didn't want to leave Hinata behind just in case those girls returned. They could have brought their buddies, he had no idea and he didn't want to risk not being there if she were to get attacked.

In short, he was beginning to become _very_ edgy and temperamental. He was highly irritated that he hadn't killed that girl; that would have really helped calm him down a bit. Next time he saw her he had every intention of correcting that mistake.

"Did we have to come out so early?" Nakamura complained to Hinata, hugging himself "It's still dark so it's colder than usual."

Sasuke was sure Hinata was giving the man a nervous smile although his back was turned to them. "Ah, Nakamura-san…"

That was it. He was done. No more. "Shut. The hell. Up." Sasuke snapped, turning to the man, his eyes a bright red "If you complain _one more time_ something very unpleasant will happen. You don't need to show up healthy, you just need to be able to testify. You'll be able to walk, but you don't need _arms_ to do that now do you?"

Yeah, he was very edgy.

But at least the guy shut up. He didn't even ask to go pee; Hinata had to stop them because the man had been wiggling around so much.

As the days went on Sasuke wasn't sure if the guys that had been hired to take out Nakamura existed and if they did, they were _horrible_ at their jobs. The group had encountered a few road traps along the way, a few men had come out at one point to attack and when Sasuke glared at them with his Sharingan they all ran away terrified – which had been rather disappointing actually. Someone had tried to hit on him while they had been in a town, standard procedure had she not also tried to drug him with a powerful sleeping agent. Some poor bastard had tried to go after Hinata and that had just ended ugly. Apparently the guy had 'accidently' groped her and found himself flat on his back wondering what the hell happened and why he couldn't move.

If these were ploys to try and get to Nakamura they were…really bad. Even at twelve he would have been able to spot the obvious attempts, it was that painfully pathetic. After a while it became so bad he actually found himself amused by the entire thing because, really? Were these guys really that incompetent? Sasuke was beginning to wonder if Tsunade had been bullshitting them about the rank of this mission. Maybe she had just wanted to use Sasuke as bait to figure out what the _real_ assassins wanted and this…_travesty _had been as good of an excuse as any. He was beginning to wonder if he should feel insulted, they unlocked his seals for _this_? What if the assassins hadn't attacked?

_I probably would be beating my head against a wall out of sheer boredom and frustration._

He had never been so glad in his life to see their destination when they had finally arrived. Of course, he was still stuck with Nakamura until the trial was over but after that he was going to go break shit. Trees primarily but heads were fine too should an assassin volunteer to be his punching bag for the day. _Anything_ to get the edge off; if not he would probably all but rape Hinata out of sexual frustration once they left and he had her alone for almost two weeks. The dreams he had been having of her lately were not helping his stress levels. It wasn't as if he had ever been intimate with a woman before – he had had other things on his mind back then, like revenge - but it was becoming _really_ hard to ignore her and not want to do…things. To her. Horrible, _horrible_ things. Half of the stuff he imagined he didn't even know if it were physically possible to accomplish but it didn't stop his teenage-practically-adult mind from thinking it.

Definitely frustrated. Definitely edgy. Needed to destroy stuff or bad things would happen on the way home.

They gave him his own room when they reached Nakamura's place and it was probably the only time in his life where he had been happy to be alone.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

xxxxx

The two Konoha shinobi were surprised to discover that upon arrival Nakamura had been taken into protective custody and were told they were no longer needed. Oh, and keep the change.

Considering how everything else had been going lately, both of them were a little skeptical. It had been total silence and then all of a sudden there were all these juvenile attempts at trying to kill Nakamura. They had been invited to stay one more night and just after nightfall Sasuke entered Hinata's room.

"Do it." He said as he closed the door, crossing his arms and leaning against it as she activated her Byakugan. When not around civilians his Sharingan was always activated, it didn't even require a conscious effort on his part anymore.

He watched as her veined eyes shifted left to right every now and then. There was a small frown and then she looked down.

"He's no longer in the house," she reported "they've taken him underground not too far from here and…" she gasped and her eyes widened "his chakra levels are…"

So it had been as they had suspected. He was beginning to grow tired of this charade. "Lead the way."

They moved quickly through the darkness, easily bypassing guards, deactivating traps and alarms as Hinata saw them. Never again would he doubt the skills of the Byakugan; he sure as hell couldn't see through walls, damnit.

A slow smirk emerged as a thought came to him. He couldn't help it, he _had_ to ask "So, Hinata," he began, moving up beside her "your Byakugan can see through walls right? So what –"

"_No, we can't see through clothes_." She said _very _defensively and he couldn't help but be amused. Of course she had been asked that plenty of times; he had just wanted to see her reaction.

"Do you think Neji would –"

"_Please_ don't go there." She blanched and he fell back a bit, feeling a lot better now that Hinata was flustered and frustrated. He hated suffering alone. Besides, it had been worth it to see the look on her face; she looked cute when she blushed.

Their client was being held down below a rather expensive-looking house. Scanning around, they had been able to find a cellar entrance and carefully made their way down. Instead of speaking Hinata signed to him. Three men, Nakamura tied to a chair. She couldn't tell him if they were shinobi or not, all she could see when it came to people was their chakra network. No traps, Hinata's ability to 'zoom in' on things was extraordinary so he didn't even bother to double check to make sure she hadn't missed anything like he normally would have around anyone else.

The underground room was very cold and smelled rather rank. There was one low dangling light which was over Nakamura's head illuminating only a small portion of the room, the rest being bathed in darkness. Nakamura himself looked horrid. He had been severely beaten; he needed to get to a hospital.

Still it was too easy. She nodded her agreement when he had signed it to her.

He would reveal himself to trap them in his genjutsu. She would grab Nakamura and try to patch him up as best she could, he'd get rid of the garbage – she hadn't looked too pleased with that but knew better than to argue with him – and then they'd get out of there.

"Hey guys," Sasuke began, walking out into plain view "I thought you said this was _protective_ custody." All three of them turned to him; all three of them became trapped in his genjutsu. Too easy.

First Hinata untied Nakamura. She was doing her best to heal the more grievous wounds, but she was no medical nin.

"He's not dying," she informed him "But he'll need a hospital. If he gets proper attention he'll still be able to testify at the hearing."

"Alright, take him up to the surface," his hand reached behind him for his sword "I'll be up in a minute."

The Uchiha learned that the men were just hired thugs sent out to beat and kill Nakamura through the genjutsu. He could have used Tsukuyomi but felt that it'd be a waste of chakra. Since the men were now useless, he dispatched them quickly and met Hinata at the top.

"I'll take him." The Uchiha offered and she helped Nakamura get on Sasuke's back "He looks light, but he'd just slow you down. Let's go."

So their mission wasn't over with after all, Nakamura's own people were against him it seemed. They'd have to take shifts to watch the man while he recovered in the hospital; anything could happen there. It meant that the two of them would get little rest and they couldn't trust anyone else to watch him, the man would probably end up dead by morning. Sasuke refused to fail his mission after everything he went through to get the whiny little coward here.

Crimson eyes blinked as a surge of information came to him via his clone. They had found it already? He sorted through and something hard gripped his chest. Quickly he looked over at Hinata who was only a few feet away; her Byakugan was activated.

"Hinata!" he called out, getting her attention. She wouldn't see it coming, couldn't. "Hinata, turn off your –"

It all happened in slow motion. Her gaze had shifted over to him slightly in inquiry. Just as he was about to finish his sentence the bladed end of a spear burst through her chest. Her eyes widened, shock keeping her from experiencing pain. They were a bit high up in the trees so he watched as her body plunged down to hit the ground in an awkward angle; blood mixing with snow.

When was the last time he had cared about the death of someone? Itachi. The pain of that, of learning the truth, had been the catalyst for his decent into insanity. He had stopped caring, he had stopped feeling any compassion or love. His mind had delved back into the past and had refused to leave. This feeling wasn't the same, nothing would ever make him feel as horrible and in pain as Itachi's death had…but it was pretty fucking close.

His chakra infused feet slammed onto a thick tree branch and he set Nakamura down. Eyes snapping up, he looked at the woman, the one who had been the 'mother', as she prepared another spear with her own body. He moved and for the woman it had looked as if he had just appeared before her. She cried out in alarm, eyes widening in fear as she looked at a Sharingan she had never seen before. Black with red elipises? How was that possible?

The Uchiha's face was blank, cold. A hand snapped up, grabbed the woman by the throat and she felt herself slam hard into a thick tree branch a few feet below them. Coughing, she struggled to stand when she heard the sound of metal sliding from a sheath. When she looked up at him again she felt as if she were looking into the eyes of a demon.

"You're _dead_." Was all the demon said to her.

xxxxx

"Ow." Hinata said lamely when she first opened her eyes. She heard a small snort from her side. Turning her head, anything else hurt too much to bother with; she spotted her partner sitting on a chair beside her bed. He looked a mixture of bored and amused, if such a thing were possible. Gently, she felt her hand rub at her aching chest. What happened? All she could remember was Sasuke telling her to deactivate her Byakugan, pain, the sensation of freefall and then nothing. Judging by the smells, sounds, and the feeling of a stiff bed beneath her she was in a hospital.

"Ah!" she suddenly remembered and tried to sit up but failed miserably "Nakamura-san, he's…"

"Fine." He answered, getting up to lightly push her back on the bed. Fumbling around he eventually found the switch to move her bed and she felt herself lifting. "Trial's over. Mission complete. We can leave as soon as you're ready to travel."

"O-oh…" she said off handedly, looking at him with a bit of confusion. Was it just her or was he looking at her…differently? She blinked and his face was back to being impassive. She must have imagined it, she was being pumped full of drugs after all. "How bad is it?"

He shrugged although she could tell he was tense "You'll be fine, nothing vital was hit. I didn't realize it until it was too late that we were being followed by those girls. The little girl was easy to sense, the 'mother' wasn't, which was how they were designed to be. When the clone realized what was going on it broke so I could get the information."

She let out a little breath "And of course, I couldn't see them because of the Byakugan. That's why you were yelling at me."

Something really strange crossed over his face and he turned, giving her a short nod "Yeah. Nakamura was able to testify. I have no idea what's going to happen from there and I don't care."

Hinata tried to giggle but it was painful so she settled for a smile "W-what about the girls? What happened after I fell?"

The hard look that emerged on his face gave her an idea "You don't need to know." He said firmly.

A sense of uneasiness washed over the Hyuuga. Sasuke looked…almost frightening. There was something very cold and distant in his mannerisms and expressions. He refused to look at her for any extended period of time and there was a thick tension in the air.

She ended up misunderstanding his anger "I'm sorry…" she began "I should have been more attentive."

Black eyes slid over to her and she would have jumped had her body been in good enough condition to. He looked…_angry_. She had seen him angry like that before but never towards her, even when he had been going through his 'I hate Hinata' stage. Sasuke looked very unstable, like a caged wildcat waiting to strike.

"Shut up." He practically growled the words at her and stood up. "Now that you're awake, I'm going to go train."

Hinata could do nothing but blink at him owlishly as he all but stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

_What…what just happened?_

Three days later and a message to Tsunade informing them of their late return Hinata was ready to travel. Her chest still hurt and she couldn't keep up the same walking speed as before but beyond that she was much better than when she had initially opened her eyes.

The Uchiha did not return to her room until the hospital had fit her good enough to be discharged. When she did see him three days later his face looked haunted and he continued to avoid her gaze. Any attempts at conversation were ignored or were answered curtly. Despite her protests he was carrying her back pack as well as his own, knowing that she couldn't honestly carry that much weight with the injury she was sporting.

The nurses had told her that when he had brought her into the hospital he had refused to leave her side and anyone who tried never did so again. They had thought it was 'oh so cute' that he had been so concerned for her; he had even held her hand a few times it seemed.

"_He didn't say much,"_ one of the nurses had told her as she swooned in front of Hinata _"but the way he looked at you…I wish _my_ boyfriend would look at me like that."_

He had seemed somewhat fine until she had asked what had happened to her. After that he became extremely moody and she had no idea of what to do. Was he going to be like this for the next week and a half? Had she done something wrong? It was hard to believe all of what the nurses had been telling her when now that he was acting so cold and distant.

Nervous, she took a small breath, looking at his back as he walked in front of her. To the untrained eye he looked as if he was walking smoothly but she could see how tense his shoulders were and his hands rarely were unclenched. "S-Sasuke-san?" she began.

"Hinata." He responded flatly.

Another breath "A-are you alright? Um, are you mad at me?"

"I'm fine and no."

That was how most of their conversations had gone the first few days. When they settled at a town for the night he made it a point to sleep in a completely different room than her, which was fine, she supposed. They would save more of their travel expenses if they simply got one room with two beds but when she had mentioned it he had looked as if he was going to murder her. She had quickly dropped it.

Once they were in port she began to realize what he was doing. As promised, he was trying to avoid her. Contact, conversations, anything and everything that involved them was dealt with as quickly as possible. She couldn't deny that, once again, she was hurt. It was really her own fault, who falls for a man like Uchiha Sasuke? The man was angry, cruel, merciless when it came to his enemies, snappish, temperamental, and when he was really feeling bitter about his forced life in Konoha he was extremely sarcastic to the point of being savage.

But he had also been the person who had willingly taken blows that would have killed her. He had risked seriously damaging his mind that night at the festival just to save her from the assassin's attack on his life. He had told her that he held feelings for her and she still believed him. When he wanted, he could be very gentle and – somewhat – kind. He didn't smile often but when he did it seemed to transform his entire demeanor. When he would put his arms around her she had felt safe and comforted. He was comfortable enough around her to actually sleep in her presence. There were times when he would look at her and while she couldn't name the emotion that was there, she knew it was intense. He was possessive and didn't like men touching her, flirting with her, or even looking at her funny. It should have felt overbearing but for some reason it was…cute.

He didn't want to settle down in Konoha because he didn't want his future children to be used by the village. Hinata couldn't really blame him considering everything that had happened. Regardless of how accepting he was of his life now – not really - he still seriously disliked his place of birth and had he the choice he wouldn't even live there. Sasuke didn't fit in and he didn't try, he _wanted_ to be left alone.

She had been told flat out that any relationship he involved himself in would be it. He would marry her or he wouldn't bother at all. A relationship between the two of them was virtually impossible yet for some _stupid_ reason she had actually been hopeful. It was insane, because in hoping it meant that she _wanted_ to marry him and she didn't even know if she loved him. Yes, she liked him but he was too confusing and she seemed to be unhappy more than happy around him.

So after a while she stopped trying to talk to him. It was pointless to try and even communicate with someone who obviously wanted nothing more to do with you, even if they had said kind words and had been affectionate. Her luck with men was horrible it seemed, and she was attracted to the most unlikely of people. First Naruto, now Sasuke, the prior village heartthrob. Not that the women had stopped finding the Uchiha attractive, it was just that he was so unapproachable and hostile no female dared. She was the only fool brave enough, it seemed, and look at how that was turning out. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the absurdity of it all.

A week later while on the boat heading back home Hinata began to feel very depressed. Now that the mission was over all she could think about was her situation with Sasuke and how hopeless it all was. She hated feeling hurt when she had known it was going to happen, she hated the fact that once again she had been rejected in a rather ironic fashion. She was hurt and angry about him even approaching her; she would have been fine if he had just left her alone. Hinata had never held any feelings towards him until he had started giving her attention. Now once again she was stuck pining for a man like a complete twit and it just hurt.

So she cried. Only a few times but it had been her way of letting out her frustration and stress. Hinata knew that crying was seen as a weakness but she always felt better if she cried after something significant had happened to her. Being strung along and then eventually rejected – even if she had been told it would happen – definitely counted as significant.

The second night once they had reached their home continent Hinata had gone out into town. She didn't do much, just a little bit of shopping. A few of her favorite snacks, a trinket for Hanabi that she knew her sister would like, things like that. There had been a wonderful restaurant that she had decided to eat at and relax. After that she returned to her hotel room and prepared everything for another day. They would reach Konoha in three more days and her chest was feeling a lot better now so they would be able to go at a better pace. Hinata had felt like such a burden in the beginning because Sasuke had looked annoyed at having to walk slower and carry her belongings so as not to aggravate her wound.

He treated her as if she were something disgusting. It was painful. She took a shower and checked her wound, it was doing fine but she was sure it'd leave a scar. The doctors there weren't Konoha medical nin. For one, she would have been healed before they had even left and two, her wound wouldn't have scarred. Changing her bandage she dressed for bed and found herself unable to sleep. Her thoughts were too turbulent, chaotic. Hinata felt lost, did she love him? Was that why it was hurting so much? She liked him, enough to even secretly wish to be with him even though she knew what it would lead to. Did that mean it was love?

Rolling over on her side she wiped at her face. She certainly hoped she didn't love him. If she were lucky this time, his decision to avoid her would allow her to gain the strength to successfully drive him out of her heart.

"Hinata," a voice came in during the middle of her crying "_Hime_, I can't do another night of this. Stop crying."

Her entire body went rigid at the sound of his voice. Unlike before his voice sounded soft, pained even? It was the same sort of voice he would use when he would hold her or pull her close. What did he mean? He was having problems with her crying? It was his fault to begin with!

"W-why are…why a-are you here?" her voice sounded watery and she refused to turn over to look at him. Somehow he had entered her room without her realizing, bypassed her safeguards and planted himself on her bed with her completely oblivious to his presence. That was…disconcerting.

The Uchiha didn't answer. Instead she felt the warmth of his hand as he brushed his fingers along her hair. They continued to sit in silence and while his touch was comforting, it was too much for her. He kept going back and forth with her and she couldn't take it anymore.

"Uchiha-san," she began and his hand stopped at her formal tone "Please leave. I'm v-very tired."

The hand lifted away from her but he didn't leave. The silence and tension was thick in the dark room. Just when she began to shift he spoke again.

"Are you finally rejecting me, Hinata?" it was asked calmly but there was something guarded in his tone.

Something snapped. Sitting up, she spun to face him, pale eyes glittering with pain and anger "Me? I-I'm rejecting you?" she poked his chest and he actually looked surprised, looking down at his chest and then back at her as if to say 'did you really just _poke_ me?' "Y-you…" frustrated she found herself beginning to stammer "From the beginning you've y-you've been rejecting _me_! O-one minute y-you're telling me you l-like me and then the n-next you're ruthlessly s-shoving me away." This time she pushed at his chest "You k-keep telling me t-that we can't b-be together and you're the o-one who keeps sa-saying no so…" her small fist hit his chest "So just m-make up your mind already a-and if you're going to avoid me t-then leave me alone a-already! You c-can't handle my crying and I…I can't handle b-being strung along any more." Hinata wiped at her face angrily, at her wits end.

The only sounds made were her sniffles and her rough breathing. His dark eyes looked blank, his entire face did. Like a fool she kept trying to look for something, _anything_, but found a blank slate. It was almost enough to make her cry again.

"P-please just leave…" she pushed at his chest again but this time he caught her wrist. Hinata tugged although she knew it was pointless; this man was much stronger than she'd ever be. Still his expression didn't change, he probably hadn't even blinked.

"Uchiha-san…" she impored.

"You almost died."

Everything seemed to stop. His eyes refused to leave hers for the first time since they had left Snow Country and while she couldn't read anything in his gaze his words made her feel that he wasn't showing any expression because there was too much to feel. He had sounded so…broken.

Finally she found her voice. "Sasuke –"

"I couldn't look at you." he began and then his face melted into an uncertain look, a mixture of frustration and indecision "I can't…" he scowled "I wasn't trying to ignore you, it was just that looking at you…" the Uchiha looked absolutely frustrated and disgruntled. He seemed to know what he wanted to say, he simply couldn't say it. A hand moved through his hair "Just…just stop crying. Please. I'm not _trying_ to hurt you."

Once again he was unable to look at her and she sat there, stunned while he held her wrist in his hand. It was difficult to try and piece together all of his broken sentences into something coherent.

"You've…been avoiding me because when you look at me it reminds you of how I almost died?" was what she had been able to piece together so far. Had she really almost died? Her hand moved to her chest where her wound was absently.

"Yes." It was said soft and low "When I finally got there you had stopped breathing and your body was ice cold." His eyes narrowed but not at her "A dead body isn't something new to me but…" once again he shook his head; whatever he wanted to say he couldn't.

"I-I'm sorry…"

"Stop apologizing." He actually snapped at her, his expression angry "What do you need to be sorry for? _I'm_ the one who should have been watching your back because of those lab rats. I hate it how you're always saying sorry, do you even know what you're apologizing for half the time?"

Her mouth opened and then closed. He was saying more by not speaking than he was by speaking. He blamed himself for her almost dying. Seeing her body back then had affected him, he had actually _felt_ something when he thought she had died. He was snapping at her because he was frustrated with himself and he didn't want her to take the blame off of him.

So he had been quiet because he had had trouble dealing with it. As much as that touched her and made her happy he wasn't addressing the main issue, namely their relationship. Regardless of whether or not he had meant to hurt her, she couldn't handle another night where he was kind and gentle to her and then in the morning cold and distant. She wasn't that strong.

"I've stopped crying." She said softly, looking down at the bed "So…you can leave now. I won't cry again so…"

Slowly he released her hand and turned his back to her "What would you do if I left the room?"

That was a rather loaded question because he wanted to know more than he was letting on. If he left, would that be it? Would she reject him from then on?

"I would –"she paused "I would take it as you letting me know that you don't want to have anything to do with me a-and so…I'd try to do the same."

"Ah." He said and then silence. He kept his back to her and she couldn't look away from it. Hinata really wished she knew what went on in that head of his. After a long pause he spoke again "What do you want?"

Irritation began to rise back up in her "W-whatever y-you want."

He turned to her then, his gaze searching her face to see if she was lying or not "That's not an answer."

"It's…never been my choice." She admitted "If something h-happens, it's because you let it. If not, it's because you don't want it. You're the one who doesn't want a relationship and you don't want to marry or have children so…what does it matter what I think?" she sounded tired. She was tired. It was too much to deal with him at times.

Leaning forward, she found her eyes widening as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. Leaning back, she put a hand on his chest to keep some distance between them.

"Sasuke –"

"If I told you that I'd marry you and have a family with you would you in turn follow me, even if it meant leaving Konoha?"

_He's…he's serious._ Her eyes grew as wide as saucers. It was still too difficult to determine what was going on through his head but that question put a lot of things in perspective. Did this mean that he wanted to be with her? He was _seriously_ considering her to be his…wife?

Hinata suddenly realized that this time the decision rested in her hands, his earlier question of what she wanted was clearer now. For whatever reason, he had decided that he would potentially bite the bullet to be with her, but was she willing to make an equal sacrifice?

The only reason Sasuke didn't want children was because he didn't want the village to use and manipulate them. That was certainly understandable and honestly, she couldn't blame him. He had made it more than clear that he would not allow Konoha to have any child of his; could she handle that? It meant that if he left her life and her career would be over if she followed. She would have him, they would have a family, but she would have to leave everything behind. Where would they go? Orochimaru's old stomping grounds of the Sound? It wasn't like he couldn't run his own hidden village; he was much stronger than Orochimaru now and that person had been one of the legendary Sannin. He didn't seem like the sort of person who wanted power any longer for personal gains; he just wanted to be left the hell alone.

So a sacrifice for a sacrifice. If he decided to settle down in Konoha and risk his children being subjected to the very thing he didn't want would she in turn be able to abandon her family and friends to start a family with him if he left? It was 'all or nothing'; she was either by his side or she wasn't.

Fighting back tears, she replied honestly "I don't know. A part of me wants to be with you but I don't understand what you want from me most of the time and I've been so confused. And to leave everything I've known and loved…that's not something I can just decide like that. B-but if I were to decide to be with you I…I wouldn't want o-our children to be manipulated either. I would w-want to protect them."

He stared at her for a moment longer before he briefly closed his eyes. "Alright." His tone sounded flat but he didn't release her, if anything he pulled her closer. Confused, she frowned, unsure if he would finally push her away and abandon her or what. Her answer hadn't been a 'Yes', but it hadn't been a 'No' either.

He could at least give a better response than 'Alright'. Really, she was already so stressed out from all of this and she was beginning to think that he was doing it on purpose.

Hands moved up to frame her face. His gaze held hers and for a moment she thought she saw something, but it was gone before she could determine it. The gaze was held only for a moment before he pulled her in and kissed her. It was like that night when he had made out with her but different. There was something there that hadn't been there before, something deeper than lust. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she returned his kiss, feeling her eyes burning for a different reason. She hadn't told him yes but still…?

"One year." He whispered against her lips when they had parted "I want your final answer a year from now. If you're still undecided by then, it's not worth it for either of us. Now, just so there are no misunderstandings in the future I want to know, Hyuuga Hinata, will you marry me?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

xxxxx

That night they had slept together on the bed, her curled up with her back against his front like before a few weeks ago. Pale lavender eyes fluttered open as the sun leaked through the window, shining in her eyes. Hinata tried to move but when she did her…Sasuke's arms tightened around her middle.

_What do I call him? My boyfriend? My 'maybe' fiancé?_

"Stop moving." He ordered and she felt his face bury deeper into her hair. "You move a _lot_ when you sleep by the way."

Blushing profusely she turned so that she was facing him and frowned "W-well…you didn't…you didn't have to stay."

A dark eyebrow raised "I wanted to." He said it as if she were daft for thinking differently. His gaze drifted down to her chest and she was almost offended until she felt his hand brush along her injury. His hooded eyes looked haunted. He moved as if he wanted to tell her something but it seemed that whenever he wanted to say something especially emotional the words couldn't form. It didn't take much to see what he was thinking, however. He didn't want something like that to happen to her again.

It was times like this when she really wished she could read his mind completely. What had he thought when he had seen her body that night? Whatever it was, she had a feeling that had been _the_ reason he wanted to be with her now. Her condition had shocked him enough to make a decision; he really did care about her. It had taken him a year and a half to make the decision and he was giving her another year so she could figure out what she wanted.

Uchiha Sasuke was…a surprisingly thoughtful person.

No, more like serious. He didn't like wasting time, he didn't enjoy being indecisive about something, which had probably been the source of all of his hostility and confusion towards her in the beginning. He was the way he was and she had a year to decide whether or not she could handle him. He wasn't going to change; he wasn't going to stop being who he was. He wasn't going to stop being cruel or merciless; his love for killing wasn't going to fade just because she was with him. His temper and disposition would still be crappy; he probably wouldn't stop being an asshole. Despite that the good thing was she believed that he would treat her the way he had been whenever they had been alone together.

Would he be open about his feelings for her? That seemed likely. Sasuke didn't joke around; he would make absolutely certain that she knew exactly what she was dealing with from all angles. That included how his reputation would affect her as the Hyuuga heir. She knew that once people found out she would not be treated with kindness from everyone; there was an organization out specifically to kill him for crying out loud. It meant that she would become a target and he was allowing her to become a vulnerability to him.

When he said 'all or nothing' he meant _'all or nothing'_. She hoped a year would be enough time for her to make a decision because whatever she decided, she'd either follow him to the ends of the earth or lose him forever.

She sighed "Sasuke," she tried again, squirming "I have to…" her face turned red "use the bathroom."

He snorted and she wondered if he could tell that she was lying. "Hold it." He said flatly.

Maybe the Sharingan really did grant the user telepathy.

xxxxx

After they had returned to Konoha and Hinata had given the report the two parted ways. Hinata because she needed to report to her family, Sasuke because he needed…advice. Or something.

Currently, he lay on the couch in his apartment, one arm resting over his eyes. He hadn't been able to get that image of Hinata out of his head.

_His body was coated in blood, eyes wild and filled with unbridled rage. His feet sank into the snow as he stood above her broken body; face devoid of all emotion. He ignored the pool of blood that had soaked into the snow; ignored his bloodied sword in his other hand dripping the precious life fluid of his enemies. Once again his eyes were crimson, taking in the fact that she was not breathing. Her pale face looked blue, her lips dry. Her brows were furrowed in a frown but her body was still, stiff._

_The sword dropped down to the ground as he fell to his knees in front of her, a pained expression on his face. When was the last time he had been affected by someone's death? All he could remember was Itachi; his brother's smile as he was finally free. The grief and pain had been a physical entity within him, blocking out his brother's dying wish with anger and hatred. With this second chance he had decided to do what his brother had truly wanted for him._

_But how could he do that without her?_

A knock on the door drug him out of his thoughts. Flipping his body into an upright position he rested his forehead in his hand. "Get in here, idiot." He said it loud enough to be heard on the other side.

The blonde burst in, blue eyes wide and sparkling with a brightness his dark eyes would never be able to emit. Even if the Uchiha was no longer in 'the darkness' he was still a dark person and always would be. Karin had once told him when he was brought back that Naruto's chakra was bright and warm while his had been – and still was – dark and cold. Yet despite the fact that he was the way he was, Hinata had still fallen for him; she still cared. Whether or not that'd be enough would be answered in a year.

"Yo, sup you cranky bastard?" his best friend asked as he walked in. Sasuke didn't look at him; instead he leaned back into his couch and scowled. After a moment he felt Naruto sit in his chair on the other side, his expression turning serious. "Sasuke?"

The Uchiha closed his eyes "I need your help." He admitted "Or advice. Something." Fingers pinched the bridge of his nose "I don't know what the hell I'm doing any more. Everything and nothing makes sense."

"Uh…" he could feel his friend's confusion "You're losing me here. What are you talking about?"

"Everything."

The silence continued and after a moment he heard Naruto shift uncomfortably. Kid never did like sitting still.

"Ooo-kay…I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on." The blonde said calmly and Sasuke could feel his eyes on him "Did something happen on the mission? I thought I heard Granny say it was a success."

"That's not really it." how could he say it? Whenever he tried to verbally express himself in a personal manner his throat would close up and the words wouldn't form. It was as if there was a seal on his ability to say what was in his heart, however cheesy that sounded. "It's about Hinata."

"Okay…" the future Hokage still wasn't getting it "Soooo…what about her? C'mon Sasuke you gotta throw me a bone here I –"

"I asked her to marry me."

"_Heh?_" he could hear the pitch in Naruto's voice and, if possible, he could hear him blinking at him. "S-say that again?"

"No." opening his eyes he sat up and met his friend's gaze, forearms resting on his thighs. "You heard me the first time, loser."

Naruto opened his mouth, closed it. Opened it again, snapped it shut. Raised a finger and took a breath as if to say something and then deflated. "Er…congratulations?" he offered, too stunned to come up with anything better or coherent.

"She didn't say yes." When Naruto's expression turned downcast he shook his head "She didn't say no either."

"Oh."

The two almost-men sat in silence, both lost in thought. Naruto broke the silence first.

"I thought you said you weren't going to settle down and have children." He said seriously, looking intensely at Sasuke's face. "What happened?"

_He pressed his ear to her chest but there was no heartbeat. She wasn't breathing, she was truly dead. Gone. His hand visibly shaking, he brushed the stray strands of hair away from her face. There was no one else; looking at her now he understood that she was it. His laugh was bitter in the night. This was divine retribution at its finest. His brother had brought him back, fate had decided to pin him to this girl and then, after a suitable amount of fucking with him emotionally, took her away. And of course _now _that she's dead everything becomes clear to him. But he deserved it, didn't he? Uchiha Sasuke, the man who had tossed aside his morals, his sanity, and his soul for revenge of the fanatical sort; he deserved it for everything he's done right? It was only fitting for someone like him._

"She almost died." He explained to Naruto, once more dragging himself out of the thoughts of that night "I got her heart to start and helped her regain her breath then I took her to the hospital. But initially when I had finally gone to her…she was dead."

His friend's face filled with pain. He scratched the back of his head. "Sasuke…do you…you know, love Hinata-chan?"

"No." he answered automatically and then put a hand through his hair "I don't think so…" a pause "I don't know. I haven't loved anyone since the massacre and even then it had been familial love. All of those feelings I had abandoned a long time ago."

Now Naruto put a hand through his hair "Shit." He muttered "Sasuke, this is…I mean, I'm not as smart as you or Shikamaru but this…you gotta tell me everything, I can't help unless I understand what's going on in your head."

Sasuke bit back a harsh laugh. _He_ didn't even understand what was going on in his head. Him asking a woman to marry him was along the lines of 'holy shit you've lost it' as far as he was concerned. Standing up he began to stretch out tense muscles "Let's go to the training grounds."

A grin spread on the blonde's face and he stood. Sasuke was shit with expressing himself verbally. Physically, however, was a completely different story and Naruto could read him better than he could read himself. There was no one else he could or wanted to confide in but he needed to get these emotions off his chest. For all of their bickering and bitching, Naruto was the _only_ person who actually understood the dark mystery that was Uchiha Sasuke.

"Let's go."

xxxxx

_There was little blood that emerged when he pulled the spear from her lifeless body, pulling her into his arms. She was cold, ice cold, and so very still. He couldn't stop staring at her and did so until he felt his eyes burn. Something wet dropped on her cheek but he refused to acknowledge that it was coming from him._

'_Are you giving up already?' the voice in his mind sounded familiar but he couldn't place it 'You're not even going to try? How pathetic. You're a loser.'_

_Ah, he recognized it now, it was his voice._

'_She's not allowed to die.'_

The dark haired male blocked a solid kick to his head with his arm, ignoring the sting of the blow. He countered with a sweep that Naruto narrowly dodged. Making his favorite hand seal twelve Naruto clones emerged and the Uchiha grinned, activating his Sharingan.

_He wasn't sure why he was doing this, only that his mind was screaming at him to refuse the belief that she was truly dead. So he pushed his hands against her chest and after a few reps of that he tilted her head back, pinching her nose to give her much needed air. Then he went back to her chest, trying to get her heart pumping once more. Later, if asked, he would have no idea how long he had knelt there trying to get her to breathe again but right now he planned on continuing until something happened. He wasn't giving up and he didn't make mistakes. She was his and he'd be damned if she was going anywhere without him. If she did not open her eyes he would never be able to fulfill his brother's wishes. There was no one else, he wouldn't accept anyone else. Sasuke was determined to keep his promise to his brother so that meant she needed to fucking _breathe_._

An elbow jammed into the throat of the last clone and it puffed into cloud of smoke. He barely dodged the orange clad elbow aiming for his face as the future Hokage used the smoke to his advantage. Unfortunately for the blonde, he was still faster. Strong hands gripped Naruto's arm and he was sent flying over the Uchiha's shoulder and towards a nearby tree. Twisting his body, Naruto landed with his feet on the tree, a feral grin on his face and eyes as red as his opponent's. Well then, if he was going to take this seriously…

_Minutes passed with no results. She wasn't moving, her heart wasn't beating, she wasn't breathing. Frustration filled him and he began to grow angry. Was she trying to come back on her end? Had she already given up? He'd never forgive her._

_When he gave her breath once more he felt something. A spike in chakra perhaps? It was coming from Hinata, her body was beginning to respond. Still it was a slow process and too much time had passed already. Realizing this, he decided to put his energy into one last hit. His hands clenched together in a fist, he moved his chakra there and slammed down on her chest forcibly pushing his chakra into her body._

_Blood that had filled her throat was harshly coughed out and her body jolted upright, pale eyes wide, automatically taking in a huge gulp of air. He held her as she turned her head to the side, still coughing, rubbing her back. Eventually she stopped and her body began to shiver but she was _alive_. He put his head back to her chest as she settled down. Her heart was beating but it was weak. Her breathing was short and strained and she'd lost an incredible amount of blood. If he didn't get her to a hospital there would be nothing he could do if she died again._

_Standing up, he produced a shadow clone that jumped into the trees to grab Nakamura. Pulling the Hyuuga into his arms he moved at top speed towards the hospital._

There was a rather large crater where his body had been standing at not a moment ago. How long had they been at this? Hours? It was only now that the two boys looked at each other, their breaths coming in a little harder. Still, both were grinning. Naruto moved his fingers to crack his knuckles as he prepared to attack again and Sasuke motioned for him to bring it.

It wasn't surprising when Naruto slammed into him harder than he had anticipated, but he remained on his feet, digging into the earth. Grabbing the blonde's arms they began to grapple. Then Naruto head butted him and the Uchiha staggered back, stunned.

Damn he had a hard head.

_Holding the weak girl he stormed through the hospital doors, his presence demanding attention. A doctor who had been walking by stared at him with a mixture of concern and fear as Sasuke walked straight to him and handed Hinata over._

"_She's dying, fix it." He said "Because if she dies in this hospital…" he trailed off on purpose but his eyes held a dark promise._

_If she died in this hospital he would kill every person in the building._

_If it wasn't her it was no one, so if he couldn't fulfill his brother's wishes, why should he give a fuck anymore? Let them come, let them use the seal and kill him; he was tired of living without a purpose. There were a few assholes from Konoha he was dying to cut down anyway; he'd take them out before he bit it._

_He hadn't been looking; he hadn't wanted to find 'that person' so soon and especially not anyone from Konoha. As he watched a team of doctors and nurses rush the girl to the emergency room he finally admitted to himself that she was 'that person'; no one else's death would have affected him like this. Once again he felt as if a piece of him was being ripped away from his chest, just like that day when he had looked at his brother's smiling face as he died._

_Gods help this town if the second person he cared deeply about died tonight, because if he couldn't be happy, _no one_ around him was going to be happy._

The 'spar' ended with the two of them slamming their foot into the other's chests, sending them flying. Both hit the ground hard and remained like that for a while. The Uchiha stared up at the sky, it was past midday. Lazily, he watched as a small flock of birds passed by and his thoughts drifted. That night he would have willingly slipped back into 'the darkness' as everyone had called it. Lose his mind again and go on a killing spree before he was found and killed? Why the hell not? He wouldn't have had anything better to do at that point.

He was the first to rise although his body was pretty sore. Naruto was the only one who could get him to this state; that was the level they were at now. For some reason they didn't replace the other seal after his mission, leaving him full access to his Sharingan. He was sure it hadn't been an oversight on Tsunade's part; she 'liked' him just as much as he 'liked' her. Dismissing it for now he reached his friend and offered an arm, to which it was accepted gratefully.

"Man, we haven't sparred like that in a while!" the blonde exclaimed, a huge grin on his face "Sakura-chan is gonna be mad though when I come home all bruised up."

"It's your fault for letting her run all over you." The brunette remarked "You let her get into the habit of thinking it's okay to beat the hell out of you whenever you mess up."

Naruto shrugged "Yeah but…I don't mind it." He grinned again "'Sides, as long as Sakura-chan loves me I can endure anything!"

The Uchiha stared at him as if the other male was mentally handicapped "I think you just enjoy pain." He muttered.

They found a suitable spot and sat down on the grass, Sasuke staring straight ahead and Naruto looking up at the clouds. They were quiet for a long time.

"If you leave we won't be able to protect you." The blonde finally remarked "You know that, right?"

The Uchiha grunted. "I can take care of myself."

"What about Hinata-chan? What about if you guys have kids? What if someone attacks while she's pregnant and you're not there and –"

"I _get it _Naruto." The Uchiha snapped, scowling. "_Hypothetically_ speaking, if I _could_ leave, it wouldn't be difficult to take over the land Orochimaru had secured when he created the Sound village. I have no doubt I could find shinobi competent enough to be under me and the Sharingan would be far away from Konoha's clutches."

Naruto looked sad "You really don't want to have a family here, do you?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed "You don't understand." He said and it was true. Naruto would never be able to understand why he just _could not_ allow himself to have a family here. Even though the future Hokage knew the truth it wasn't the same as actually going through it. No one alive would ever be able to understand how he felt when he had learned everything. Yes, a lot of it had been because of Madara but it was Konoha in the end that decided to _eradicate_ his entire clan. Men, women, children, no one had been spared. No one except him and only because Itachi's love for him had been greater than his love for the village. How can someone understand that? How can someone understand that out of everyone _you_ were the one who was spared? Had he not been Itachi's brother, he would be dead. It was a cold, hard fact and one that, no matter what, he could never allow himself to forget. It was that fact along with everything else that made him unable to forgive the village as a whole. He just _couldn't_.

"What if we made a deal with everyone?" the blonde offered "I mean, we could make them promise not to –"he was cut short as the Uchiha shook his head slowly.

"As long as they're in the village," he explained "people will try to manipulate them. It's not like Konoha wanted to erase the Sharingan completely, if they had they would have killed Itachi after the fact. He was supposed to have been the last remaining Uchiha but now it's me instead. As long as one Uchiha is alive it's enough to try and start over. Not just the council either; the Hyuuga would try pull their weight around because she's the heir. They'd try to push the Hokage out of the situation by claiming it to be a 'clan matter'. Do you honestly think they would just sit idly by and allow children from two of the most powerful bloodlines slip through their fingers?"

Blue eyes blinked at him "Whoa, you've given this a lot of thought, huh?"

An arrogant smirk "They don't call me a genius for nothing." His smirk widened when Naruto snorted and gave him a look. It quickly disappeared "If she says yes, I _will_ leave this village one way or the other."

Crossing his arms, Naruto looked off in the distance, his face just as serious as the brunette's. "It's so stupid." He said eventually "This would be easy if you weren't…" his face hardened "What if she says no? What if it's too much for her?"

The Uchiha closed his eyes "I don't know." He responded honestly "If she rejects me…" he let the sentence trail off and the air grew very tense. Sasuke would never be 'normal' or completely 'stable' ever again. There was a high chance that if she rejected him they would probably have to kill him or else risk a lot of people getting hurt. His mental state was simply too fragile to deal with something like that logically and reasonably.

"I…I don't know what to tell you." Naruto leaned back to lie down, a thoughtful frown on his face. "When you put it like that it sounds pretty hopeless."

"Hn." He agreed "What would you do if you were Hokage?"

"Eh?" sitting up again his eyes squinted as he thought about it "I don't know. Like, the other villages eventually agreed for you to come back here and 'start over', so it's not like you're a wanted criminal anymore. Er…I'd try to like, help you find a place for your family as long as you kept ties with us. If you wanted to take over Orochimaru's Sound village I guess I would support you."

Sasuke pointed a thumb to his forehead "What about this?"

The blonde blinked a few times before frowning thoughtfully again "I don't really get seals all that well, even though I had one on me most of my life. I heard you can't remove the Hyuuga seal."

"You can't." Sasuke confirmed "But that doesn't mean you can't get around it." When Naruto gave him a blank look that showed that he didn't really understand the other male sighed. "Nevermind. You're an idiot and I don't feel like explaining it."

"Hey!" Naruto grabbed Sasuke's collar "_You're_ the one who asked _me_ for advice okay? It's not my fault you're asking me crazy questions!" he looked huffy "If I was Hokage and you promised not to screw up again I'd let you go just so long as you didn't interfere in us keeping in contact with you, alright?"

"Ah." Sasuke replied and stood up. Naruto looked up at him confused "All of this has made me realize I'm going to have to make a deal with Tsunade one way or another. It's probably going to take the entire year before we agree to anything."

Standing up, the blonde dusted himself off "Yeah, I guess so. You're really serious about all of this? About Hinata-chan?"

"My brother wanted me to live my life and try to find happiness. I couldn't do that before, I get it that this is my second chance. I'm going to do what my brother wanted, but I'm doing it my way." He shoved his hands in his pockets "I know what I want and I'm not going to compromise myself any more than I have to."

"Hmmm…" Lacing his fingers behind his head Naruto frowned "Does it have to be Hinata-chan?" there was a small sigh "I mean, wanting to be with her isn't going to be easy."

A muscle ticked along his jaw "There is no one else." The Uchiha said roughly "I've _never_ wanted to be involved with a girl before. It's her or no one."

He didn't respond at first as they walked towards the Hokage's tower. After a few minutes a sly grin suddenly emerged on Naruto's face and he poked at Sasuke with his elbow "So then, I guess that means I was right in telling you to get a ring for Hinata-chan, eh?"

"Shut up, idiot." The Uchiha muttered, looking straight ahead. When Naruto pointed out that he was slightly blushing Sasuke smacked him on the back of the head. Hard.

As they reached the steps Naruto's hand snapped up and grabbed Sasuke's arm. He gave the blonde an inquisitive look.

"…I just want you to know, I got your back." Blue eyes met his gaze, his face determined. "If it's really going to help you get your second chance I'll support you all the way."

Closing his eyes briefly, Sasuke gave him a small smile "I already know that, idiot."

xxxxx

They hadn't promised to meet back up later but Hinata couldn't stay in her house with her heart and thoughts in a constant state of chaos. A part of her felt a little giddy, after that fateful night the rest of the nights had consisted of her being in his arms while they slept. As she had suspected, he had been affectionate physically although his 'pick up' lines needed some serious work. Fingers had brushed along her arms or face the entire time until they had reached the village. It wasn't as if they had held any deep conversations or anything, in fact they spoke as much as when they had first left Snow country.

It was understood that they were 'together' but not together. She had a year to make her final decision but until then but he would still show her, in his own way, that he would be worth it. It was as if he was saying "This is what you'll get if you say yes" and she had to admit that upon their return she had felt as if she were floating.

Unfortunately, she couldn't just forget the pain he had inadvertently put her through over the past year and a half. The anger, frustration, the back and forth with his feelings for her. It wasn't that she didn't want to trust him with her heart but…she needed time and really, she needed to see that he was going to be just as dedicated to his decision as he would expect her to be. On top of that, she knew if she said yes she would have to leave the village and possibly become an outcast from her family. Sure, the council and Hiashi _might_ be willing to overlook the fact that Sasuke was a traitor because he had the Sharingan, but not if they were going to have zero access to the prodigies produced from such a union. Hinata wasn't so concerned about her position as heir, Hanabi held the same feelings as she and Neji when it came to changing the clan and she would be a strong leader.

Would they even allow him to leave? Granted he had been pardoned by all the villages thanks to the efforts of the Hokage and the Kazekage but they had still bound him with the cursed seal. It couldn't be removed, he was trapped, wasn't he?

The Hyuuga sighed, walking along the streets of Konoha, unsure of where she was really going. This was too much to think on by herself, she needed to confide in someone, someone who would understand her plight and be able to maybe give her advice. A frown crossed her pretty face when she tried to think about the people she trusted.

Tenten would tell Neji and Neji would flip out so no to telling Tenten. Once again, Neji would freak out so no to him. Hanabi wouldn't get it and her advice usually wasn't very good so no to her. Ino would have the word out before nightfall so no to her. Naruto was Sasuke's best friend so he had probably went to him so no to that; she didn't want to burden him even more. Kiba would flip out worse than Neji and possibly become violent so no. Shino would also flip out but he would do it discreetly and quietly, approaching Sasuke when she wasn't around so no.

Hinata's feet stopped moving and she found herself standing outside of Haruno Sakura's door. There…there was no way she could…not Sakura! The pink-haired woman had been in love with Sasuke for _years_, Hinata understood that she would have lingering feelings; Hinata still held feelings for Naruto. One could not forget their first love, they would always hold a special place in one's heart. She couldn't confide in Sakura, it would be like rubbing the girl's nose in the dirt.

However, she was also the only female that held any inkling of an idea of what went on inside of Sasuke's head. Also, while Hinata wasn't best friends with Sakura she knew that the medical nin would be honest and upfront with her. Unfortunately, Sakura was the only person she could go to who would be able to actually _help_.

Steeling herself, Hinata raised a hand and pressed her finger on the doorbell.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

xxxxx

Sakura had just gotten out of the shower after working her shift over at the hospital when she heard the doorbell. Her parents were out for a while and hadn't been expecting any visitors. Still drying her hair with her towel she hopped down the stairs and opened the door. Then she blinked. Then she blinked again.

"Hinata-chan?" the medical nin asked, clearly surprised. Hyuuga Hinata had never visited her home before, didn't have a reason to. Not that Sakura didn't like the quiet girl, she thought Hinata was very sweet and strong in a silent way. The brunette was simply someone you couldn't hate, she was that sweet.

Regardless, their relationship was strained, or at least it was on Sakura's end. From the beginning Sasuke had shown only two people any sort of attention; Naruto and the pale eyed girl. He was even hostile towards her and Ino was now too scared to even walk on the same street as Sasuke after he had all but thrown her off of him when she had only lightly touched his arm. Sakura still did love Sasuke but…that man wasn't 'Sasuke'. There was something dark and off about him and it was permanent.

Even though he had tried to kill her she still held feelings for him. She was sure she was a fool.

When Sasuke initially awakened after that fateful battle when both he and Naruto had died and were brought back to the living her now-fiancé had told her that the Uchiha now wanted a second chance. He wanted to fulfill his brother's wish to live and be happy. Living he had done a great job of, happy? Not so much. Sasuke had been _pissed_ that he had been branded and locked in the village. Because he couldn't lash out physically he had begun to lash out verbally, becoming very sarcastic and biting with his words. He had been completely uncooperative and just an overall pain in the ass. Watching him like that, seeing his genuine disgust and hatred for anything and everything involving Konoha had made her faith in him waver. Once again, Naruto had told her that it would take time, he couldn't change who he had become overnight.

Then he had begun to pay particular attention to Hinata, except in the worst way imaginable. Without any regard to what was going on in her life and the full schedule the Hyuuga already held he had _threatened_ her to spar with him every morning. He had not been merciful either, Sakura had seen the bruises. When confronted by it he hadn't even seemed apologetic and it had made her so angry. Did he even have a heart anymore? Did he really want to change? Why poor Hinata, a girl who wished ill on no one? Once again Naruto had told the pink haired woman that he just needed time.

Months went by and he somewhat mellowed out, but not by much. He was still hurtful with his words and disregarded other's feelings but she had also heard how well he had been treating Hinata once he had been forced to become her bodyguard. That's when Sakura saw a significant change in Sasuke. When he had been about to kill a client that had betrayed them it had been none other than Hinata who had been able to calm him down. No force had even been necessary. To anyone else they probably wouldn't have seen it as a big deal but both she and Naruto knew better. They had both agreed, Hinata meant something to the fallen avenger, they just couldn't figure out what.

Then for a moment Sakura had panicked because she had learned that Naruto was going to ask Hinata out. First Sasuke, now Naruto? It had forced her to make a decision and she had chosen the boy who had stayed by her side no matter what, not the boy who had shrugged her off like an old jacket. She still loved Sasuke but she loved Naruto more and that incident had forced her to see that. It didn't mean that it still didn't hurt that Sasuke was 'kinder' to Hinata than to her when they had been through so much together. The girl had seriously wondered, out of all of the females in Konoha, why Hinata?

Now the brunette was standing outside of her door and it had only been a few hours since the Hyuuga and Sasuke had returned from their long escort mission. Sakura probably knew what she was here for. Question was, would the medical nin be able to handle what the other girl was going to say?

Hinata looked very nervous, her posture was off, gaze focused on the ground. For a moment Sakura almost thought the girl was going to start poking her fingers together. To Sakura's surprise though, Hinata was not blushing. The girl looked stressed, uncomfortable and unsure.

"Come on in Hinata-chan," the pink haired girl offered, moving to allow the other girl in. Sakura motioned for her to sit down on the couch "I'll make us some tea." She offered and Hinata seemed to nod gratefully.

"I'm…I'm so sorry to bother you like this Sakura-san…" Hinata's voice was soft and a little shaky; it took Sakura a moment to catch what had been said.

"It's no bother," she assured Hinata as she began to set up the tray and heat the water "You actually caught me after my shift so you came at a perfect time." Flashing the dark haired girl one of her bright smiles she took in Hinata's pained expression.

_What happened on their mission?_ Sakura thought. _Something had to have happened, but it doesn't look good at all._

"I…I um, I need your help," Hinata began, looking down at her lap "I don't know what to do and y-you're the only person who would understand and not tell everyone."

Green eyes blinked in surprise at the girl's statement. She had to admit, it made her feel kind of good to know that Hinata thought so highly of her; it wasn't as if the Hyuuga didn't have an abundance of people to go to for advice. But it also confirmed her suspicions. Putting the heated teapot on the tray she began to walk back over to her guest.

"It's about Sasuke-kun, isn't it?"

The brunette nodded. "He…" Sakura saw it then, the slow blush creeping up Hinata's neck, painting her cheeks a rosy red. White eyes stared into emerald and Sakura was glad that the other girl had waited until she had sat down to make her announcement.

"He…asked me to marry him." It was almost a whisper.

The medical ninja's mouth dropped. She…she must have heard that wrong. There was no way. "A-are you sure Hinata-chan?" the girl couldn't wrap her head around it "Are you sure he didn't mean something else? I mean…I mean this is Sasuke-kun you're talking about here." Sakura gave her a very strained smile. As much as she hated herself for it because she loved Naruto now, the thought 'why her and not me?' still emerged in her mind.

_Stop that._ She scolded herself _You're not twelve years old anymore and Sasuke-kun isn't your true love._

That didn't make Hinata's announcement any less stunning. For the past nineteen years Sasuke had never shown an interest in any female, not even her, now after a year and a half he was asking Hinata to marry him? Hyuuga Hinata, the only girl that hadn't had a crush on him back during their genin days. Hinata, the girl he had all but beaten on for three weeks straight.

Then again, she was also the same girl who could touch Sasuke without him becoming hostile. She was the same girl who had calmed him down from a killing rage when not even Naruto would have been able to stop him. Now, she was apparently the girl he wanted to rebuild his clan with. That's what it all meant; rebuilding his clan had been his final goal until everything he had known and understood had been shot to hell and he went insane because of it. It'd make sense that he'd want to go back to that goal now that he had this second chance.

But Sasuke wasn't twelve years old anymore and he wasn't the kindest person in the world. Sakura's expression hardened; she had to make sure Hinata wasn't being jerked around "Did he ask you because he cares about you or because you're a Hyuuga?" the girl asked flat out. No sense in beating around the bush, not on this.

The blush didn't fade so Sakura took this as a good sign. If Sasuke was treating her badly she wouldn't be blushing, she'd be terrified. "He…he says he does." Hinata began to tug at the sleeves of her jacket "I think…I believe him."

Hinata wasn't scared, just worried and confused, so that was definitely good. "What did you tell him?"

The girl shook her head "I told him I didn't know because…this entire time h-he's been…wishy washy I guess. One minute he would be really affectionate and then a minute later he would be screaming at me to get lost. H-he avoided me for six months after he was released as my b-bodyguard so…"

Sakura tried to digest all of this. It was unusual behavior for Sasuke, was he bi-polar now and they didn't catch it? No, that didn't seem right if he finally got around to popping the question. She tried to think; at first Sasuke had been extremely hostile and angry towards Hinata for no reason anyone could determine. Then he became more passive towards her, to the point where he was as comfortable around her as he could be. Once he had been able to separate himself from Hinata he had done so immediately, going out of his way to avoid the girl. Finally, they go out on a mission and he asks her to marry him.

"It sounds like…" Sakura's brows furrowed in thought "It's like…he realized he felt something towards you and because it had been too early for him to deal with it he lashed out at you instead, placing blame for his confusion on you. Then, once he was forced to deal with you on a daily basis he calmed down. The only reason I can think of for him avoiding you is that he began to realize that his feelings were deeper than he wanted them to be and so he, basically, ran away from it." She shook her head "But…that doesn't explain why he would suddenly ask you to marry him after six months of silence. Something must have happened." Sakura's gaze focused on Hinata and the girl squirmed.

"It was…the mission." Hinata began.

The medical nin listened as Hinata told the story of their mission, how Sasuke had admitted that he had been confused about his feelings and didn't want to be involved with her. She told Sakura about how, despite Sasuke's wishes he began to grow closer to Hinata, their client not helping things any since he had flirted with the girl the entire time. Then she told Sakura about the biological weapons Orochimaru had created to combat bloodline limits and how she had almost died because of it.

"I-I think that's…that's when he…" she sighed "When I awakened he had looked very serious and withdrawn, he didn't really speak to me for half of the trip back. At first I thought it was because he was going to start avoiding me again like he had said he would but then…"

Then Sasuke had entered her room one night a few days before their return to Konoha and told Hinata that her almost-death had freaked him out to the point where he couldn't even look at her as he blamed himself for the incident. When Hinata tried to push him away he had realized that Hinata had had enough; she had reached her limit. So he asked her to marry him. More than likely, the entire time he had avoided Hinata he had been thinking constantly on what he felt and what he wanted to do.

Sakura smiled thinly, understanding. "Hinata-chan, if you're worried about him being genuine…I wouldn't. After listening to everything it's obvious that Sasuke-kun is in love with you."

The girl's eyes widened and she shook her head "B-but…he…"

"He won't admit it," Sakura explained "Sasuke-kun was never good at expressing his feelings for things and people that mattered to him. I don't think he feels like he can love another person, so I don't know if he'll ever say it but…you're the only one Hinata-chan." Taking a deep breath, she looked at the Hyuuga, giving her a shaky smile "You're the first girl he's ever wanted romantically. Don't…don't underestimate his feelings, liking you will make him feel vulnerable but it seems like he's okay with that now."

_I won't cry._

Reaching forward, Sakura grabbed Hinata's hands "Hinata-chan," she pleaded "if what you're saying is true, you and Naruto are the only ones who can fully save Sasuke-kun. Naruto and I both know that Sasuke-kun is constantly at a balance between his dark side and his light side. He's still struggling with his emotions; he's been angry and hateful for so long it's ingrained in him now. But…it seems like Sasuke-kun has found anchors in you and Naruto."

There was silence for a long moment but Sakura didn't release Hinata's hands and didn't shift her gaze from the other girl. How could she make Hinata understand just how serious this was for him? Sakura would never have her Sasuke-kun back, but she wanted him to be happy more than anything.

"Y-you…" Hinata's expression was worried "He won't change his mind? Really? I mean…he could have any girl s-so…I don't understand."

She didn't either "If he's gone that far it means that he's made a decision and he's going to stick with it. That's how he is. I don't know all of what goes on in his head but…there's no doubt that he's serious about you. What about you Hinata-chan? If you make a decision…you'll have to see through it till the end, he won't accept anything less."

The pale girl bit her lip "I…like him." She admitted "I want to be with him but…all of this has happened so fast and then there's the fact that he is who he is and I am who I am. It won't be easy and…I know I'll have to leave the village. I don't…I don't want to lose my family and friends. I'm scared b-because even though he's being really nice to me now it w-wasn't always like that. I…I just need time."

"I understand, I really do." Sakura let go of Hinata's hands "When do you have to give him a final answer?"

"A year."

Wow. Sakura blinked at the girl. A year…that was a really long time. But then again, it would probably take that long to come up with a way for them to be together, especially if Sasuke wanted to leave the village with her. They were both in for a very hard time and Sakura just prayed that he wouldn't do something horrible to get what he wanted in the end. If Hinata said yes and yet someone wouldn't allow them to be together…it would end very, _very_ badly. If he wanted something, he got it, no matter what it took.

"I'd…I'd take the full year to think on it if I were you," was Sakura's bit of advice "I mean, you went through that whole ordeal with Naruto and then Sasuke-kun kept hurting you without realizing it. It's only understandable that you'd be wary. Even if you decide before the year is up, still wait. If it's a matter of Sasuke-kun needing to prove himself to you, he'll do it. Whatever it takes; he's always been like that. I don't think it's going to be easy at all, but I do believe that by the time a year has passed you'll feel secure enough in your answer. I know it doesn't seem like it now but…" she gave the girl a genuine smile "If you really do like him, you won't feel like that for long."

That seemed to be the reassurance Hinata needed to hear. Sakura watched as the girl finally relaxed, as if something heavy had just been removed from her shoulders. Hinata was such a gentle person, but she was also strong. Although Sakura really did believe that Sasuke would keep his word about wanting to be with Hinata, the medical nin decided she would talk to him anyway. Hinata was her friend and Sasuke would need to understand her otherwise he could hurt her again without realizing it.

A small part of her still hurt for a love lost, but if she had been given a choice, she would have picked Hinata for him. The previous tension she had felt towards the Hyuuga lifted, Hinata would need someone to support her because soon a lot of people would be very upset with her. She would need someone who genuinely wanted the couple to be happy.

"When things start to get bad," Sakura told her "just know that you have at least one person on your side, okay? If you want to be with Sasuke-kun, I'll support you the whole way."

A bittersweet feeling washed over Sakura as Hinata looked at her with those shining white eyes.

"Th…thank you…so much, Sakura-san." It was heartfelt and full of emotion. No one could hold delusions; she was in for a hard year.

"You know Hinata-chan, I think we've come to the point where you don't have to be so formal with me. We're friends now, okay?"

Hinata nodded "Yes…you're right. Thank you Sakura-chan."

Even though Sasuke didn't want or need anything from Sakura, she felt that she could at least do this one last thing for him. Because she loved him and because, as her old team mate - as part of her _family_ - she wanted him to be happy.

xxxxx

After talking with Sakura, which had gone surprisingly well, Hinata found herself in much better spirits. She had been so afraid that Sakura would have thought she was trying to rub it in her face that Sasuke wanted her or insult her in some way because of her prior feelings for the Uchiha. Now she had someone she could honestly depend on to support her during this year. Many of her loved ones, probably all of them, wouldn't be as willing to help. Many of them will yell at her, many of them will become angry and possibly lash out at Sasuke, something she didn't want – he could possibly flip the hell out and kill them. She was very thankful to Sakura.

_Maybe I could…convince Sasuke to open up more around Sakura-chan. It's obvious that she's not like his 'fangirls', she really does care for him, romantically and otherwise._

In any case, the Hyuuga now felt more confident about her relationship with the fallen avenger; it didn't feel as if she were falling into a miserable and painful situation. Sakura had even said that he was in love with her; Hinata still had her reservations. Love was a powerful thing, but it was easy to confuse other emotions with it. The Uchiha was a person who did things in extremes, it was either one way or the other and whatever he decided he was thorough and dedicated to.

Unfortunately, since she had no way of really contacting him without going to his apartment, something she didn't want to do because he obviously had needed the time to think just as much as she, Hinata did not see him for the rest of the day and did not know when she would see him again. Even if he didn't have any intentions on keeping things a secret it didn't mean that she wouldn't have a heart attack if he walked up to the Hyuuga estate to spend time with her. That just wouldn't go over well.

Why hadn't she thought about that before now?

Still feeling a little lightheaded and stunned by everything she returned home and her body went on auto-pilot. The rest of the day she had to herself, even Hyuuga didn't believe in forcing someone to train right after a long mission. Hanabi was out with her genin team – it was hard to believe that her little sister was going to do the chunnin exams – Neji lived in his own apartment for the most part and her father normally kept himself busy with clan business and meetings. So it was just her and she loved it.

Whenever she returned from a long or stressful mission the first thing she'd want to do was make her favorite foods. So late in the afternoon one could smell the sweet scent of cinnamon as she made herself some cinnamon buns. While doing that she had also helped the cooks with dinner preparations; as a child she had always spent her free time either at the gardens or helping the cooks and they had loved her for it. She made tea for her father when she realized that it was coming up on the time when he'd usually be going to his study for the rest of the evening and asked someone to take it to him for her. She savored her sweet, cinnamon delight with relish. No one even looked at her funny anymore, they knew those sounds of happiness came from their heiress.

Despite not having to train she did go through her kata and worked out a bit. Hinata was still debating on asking Sasuke if he would train her a little again; her hesitation was mostly trauma from the initial bout of sessions.

Her father joined her for dinner and he was surprisingly chatty…well as chatty as Hyuuga Hiashi could be, in any case. He asked her about her mission and about her wounds, obviously he had read the reports given to the Hokage, or had been informed. The existence of creatures that were immune to the Byakugan wasn't something her father was very happy about, but he was glad that two out of the five were now confirmed to be dead.

The shocking thing of all had been his opinions on Sasuke. Perhaps it was because the Uchiha had pretty much revived his daughter from the brink of death but her father had nothing negative to say about him. A first really. In fact, he had been quite inquisitive concerning his attitudes and actions during their mission which made Hinata suspicious and a bit on edge. Neji was a genius; Hiashi was the head of the Hyuuga and had more access to secret information and both males were highly intuitive. If her father has been keeping tabs on her for a while it would not take much for him to discover the Uchiha's strange interest in his daughter. She wasn't ready to deal with that confrontation just yet. Thankfully, he did not try to probe too deeply, although her own Hyuuga powers of observation showed that it was something that was on his mind.

By then she was tired mentally and physically. She had thoroughly enjoyed her long, hot bath without someone banging on the door because she was taking too long or someone had to pee. She retired to her room early, changing into her pajamas and flopping with no sense of grace onto her bed, a sigh emerging as her muscles gave their thanks for the cushioning.

A draft had caused her to awaken in the middle of the night, the cold air making her shiver. With a yawn, she rubbed her eyes and drug herself out of bed, ignoring her muscles that weren't appreciating the fact that they were being used. Had she left her window open? Hinata could have sworn she kept it closed during this time of year…

Without hesitation the Hyuuga spun, Byakugan activated, at the intruder she sensed in her room. The figure easily dodged her initial barrage and quickly caught her wrists, restraining her.

"It's me, Hinata." Came a voice she was coming to know and love all too well.

The room came back into focus and she looked up to see blood red eyes staring down at her in amusement. There was a small smirk on the man's beautiful pale face as he regarded her. Once she calmed down she immediately noticed that he looked different. Eyes widened as she looked up at her…boyfriend(?) in genuine surprise.

"ANBU?" she whispered, taking in the vest and the hawk mask hanging on the side of his head. Nodding, he gave her a strained smile.

"Tsunade decided someone with my…personality would do better in black ops than on regular missions." He informed her. It was dark in the room but it was clear that he wasn't entirely happy about his new position.

"Does that mean you're officially a Konoha shinobi again?" the Hyuuga asked, slightly confused. Before he had just been thrown on missions as punishments or whatever reason the Hokage came up with at the time. Actively joining ANBU was a completely different story, it meant that he would be assigned to a squad, he would go on deadly and important missions. A certain amount of trust had to go into those who were placed in ANBU.

Slowly, he let go of her wrists, standing straight. His entire body tensed; his expression hard. "Yeah, that's what it means."

She didn't understand; Sasuke had made it very clear he wanted nothing to do with Konoha any more than necessary. He went on missions because he had to, not because he wanted to. "Why?" she couldn't help but to ask.

His red eyes slid over to look at her white ones "You know why."

Heat began to creep up along her face when she realized "You…made a deal with Hokage-sama?" that had to be it, he wouldn't just do it for any reason, he'd want something out of it.

He nodded "Something like that." When he didn't elaborate she didn't push the issue. Sasuke told people what he wanted when he wanted. Not that she was any less amazed, to think that he would go this far…

Strong arms slid along her middle and she was pulled into the hard confines of his body. He buried his face into her neck, breathing in her scent. They stood like that for a moment, the Uchiha just holding her. Then he pulled back to frame her face in his hands before he kissed her. She could feel herself practically melting in his arms; this she could get used to. Quickly.

"I'm leaving for a few days." He said against her lips "I wanted to tell you before you found out through the grapevine."

Feeling a little shy, she buried her face in his chest. Although she was sad that he was leaving already, she was pleased beyond belief that he had come to say goodbye to her. He seemed so different now, as if he was finally at peace; his burden lifted.

"That's not the only reason I'm here." He admitted, gaining her attention again. Once again he looked tense and unhappy. Then suddenly he crushed her against him, dipping his head so that his lips were near her ear. "I wanted to make sure you understand something." When she nodded his arms tightened.

"You're going to start hearing things," he explained "you know that already. People are going to say that I'm just using you because of your position and your Byakugan, they're going to say that the Hyuuga are trying to claim the Sharingan for themselves. The reason I asked you to marry me is because that night, when I thought you had died, the first thought I had was 'How can I fulfill my brother's wish without her?' That's the truth, no matter what anyone else tries to tell you."

Her fingers gripped the fabric on the back of his vest and she fought down the urge to cry. Instead she nodded, not trusting her mouth to utter out anything coherent.

The fallen avenger moved away from her then, his expression unreadable as he moved to leave via her window. Just as his hand reached the frame he paused and then turned to her. "By the way," he muttered, looking annoyed "Anything a fan-girl tells you is a lie. Trust me, once they find out about us, they're going to tell you the craziest shit you've ever heard." Hinata giggled and his own lips twitched up but she could tell he wasn't actually joking "Let's just say that if a girl named Sara comes up to you and tells you that I'm the father of her four year old she's lying." When she gasped and looked at him in shock he nodded "Even if I had been around to have…done that with her, no child of mine would have had bright blue hair and _pink_ eyes."

_Oh. Wow. No wonder he's never had a girlfriend._ She mused. "O-oh." Was her response.

"I'll see you in a few days."

He moved to leave again and Hinata called out to him. He looked at her inquisitively and she blinked at him, unsure as to why she stopped him.

"Um," she began "please come back safely."

The look on his face was of obvious surprise; she was sure no one had ever said something like that to him before. He snorted but his eyes were actually warm when he smiled at her "Yeah. Thanks." And then he was gone.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

xxxxx

Wearing his ANBU uniform, Hyuuga Neji arrived at the Hokage's office ten minutes prior to the supposed meeting time. And it was six in the morning. And he had just got done with a mission last night where he had barely slept for four days straight. Oh yeah, and he's not really a morning person. Thank Rock Lee and Gai for that one.

As he opens the door and schools his face into his standard blank mask, Tsunade turns towards him with a sake bottle in one hand and a stack of papers in the other. Why she was drinking at six in the morning was beyond him but he was starting to hope that she'd decide to share. Because really. What the hell woman.

"It's about time you showed up, Hyuuga!" the Hokage calls out and Neji cannot help the twitching of his left eyebrow.

"I am ten minutes _early_ Hokage-sama." He informs her calmly.

The Hyuuga is beginning to think the Hokage hates him for some reason or another. This has not been the first time she has summoned him, knowing that he was probably dead tired and not all there. Surely it had nothing to do with _that_ incident did it? He hadn't even been directly involved!

Without realizing it, Neji's mind has now gone into zen mode, where he is thinking lots of random, incoherent things yet somehow manages to respond properly to anything said to him. This only really happens when he is extremely tired, like right now.

"Well, before he gets here I'll go ahead and give you the heads up." Placing the papers on her desk and pouring herself a cup of sake she leans back in her chair and crosses her legs "I'm removing you from your ANBU squad."

That snapped him out of his stupor "I'm sorry, what?" he asks ineloquently, blinking at her. Did he just hear her correctly? "May I inquire as to why?"

The feeling of something cold and dark suddenly moved up his spine and the Hyuuga turned, his white eyes landing on the form of Uchiha Sasuke, who looks as happy as he feels about being awake. The dark and cold sensation is rolling off of him in waves and yes, his Sharingan is activated.

The Uchiha takes three steps and is beside Neji and he definitely looks pissed. It's what he is wearing that catches the Hyuuga's attention the most, for he is quite certain that this man is sporting the same sort of uniform as he. Of course, this does not make sense to the sleep deprived Hyuuga so he turns to Tsunade.

"Why is he here in that uniform?" he asks rather bluntly. He even goes as far as to point.

"Because your Hokage is a sadistic tyrant." The dark haired man responds dryly. Both men smoothly and skillfully dodge the chair flung in their direction, ignoring the crash in the background.

"Shut up!" she snapped, temper flaring "He's here because I want him to be here and you're here because you're going to be his partner from now on." Her tone suggested that making any further inquiries would result in pain and suffering.

Partners? Neji looks over at the Uchiha who seems to be thinking the same thing. His confusion has more to do with the fact that he is being paired up instead of the fallen avenger being sorted into a squad like everyone else.

"Does this mean that he is not an official Konoha shinobi if he is not to be in a squad?" he feels it's a legitimate enough question.

The Uchiha tenses and even with his brain mostly on autopilot Neji catches it. Genuine surprise fills him, what in the world happened for something like this to have occurred? Immediately, he begins to go through his mind the reasons why he was chosen to be the Uchiha's partner.

For one, pairing a Byakugan user like himself with a Sharingan user like Sasuke would be ideal. Secondly, Uchiha Sasuke was a force all of his own, he technically doesn't need to be in a squad to perform efficiently. Last, and perhaps most important, Neji is one of the few individuals who had been selected to hold power over the Uchiha's new cursed seal.

He was pulled off of his squad to babysit the Uchiha? At this rate, he was going to become an alcoholic; he was already drinking more than usual since he had joined.

"Sasuke here is a…special case." Tsunade elaborated and Neji caught the motion of the man's hand clenching into a fist. "Yes, he is an official Konoha shinobi but like before when he was first brought here, he is being put on a probation period before I decide to have him become a team player." The woman smiled humorlessly as she looked over at Sasuke "But we shouldn't have to worry about that, should we?"

The Hyuuga is now fully awake, his eyes taking in everything. Obviously, the Uchiha is not a part of ANBU because he wants to be, he is being forced. For him to be forced there would have to be something important enough to him to go against his beliefs concerning being a part of the village. It was no secret that the fallen avenger wanted nothing to do with Konoha, so something must have happened to make it worth it. Somehow, he has become vulnerable and Tsunade is exploiting it. Judging by the way she is talking to Sasuke, Neji determines that some sort of deal was made between the two of them; a deal that was currently benefitting the Hokage more so than the Uchiha.

But Sasuke wasn't stupid, leading Neji to believe that whatever this thing was, it was _extremely_ important to him. Important enough to compromise himself in such a profound manner.

Then again, perhaps it is not a some_thing_ but rather some_one_. Neji could not think of anything materialistic that the Uchiha would compromise himself for, so it had to be a person. What an interesting development.

"You don't need to leave for your mission for another three hours," Tsunade explained "I'm giving you this time to work together on coming up with a battle plan. The mission you'll be on directly involves you Uchiha, so I'd listen carefully."

Motioning for them to come forward she pulls out a map and smoothes it out on the table. Pulling out a white scroll, she hands it to Neji.

"That's a list of your contacts you'll be encountering," she explained to him. Making sure she had their attention she pointed at a town about half a day's journey. He had personally been there once or twice on missions, he knew the area fairly well. "Officially, you're to pose as two jounin on a standard mission to retrieve some scrolls from some random locations using those contacts for information. In reality, you are there to gain information on the organization called 'Red Death'. Before you ask, it's an organization that apparently wants to kill the last remaining Uchiha here. I haven't been able to get in touch with those contacts personally concerning any new information but we believe that this town holds a large majority of key players."

The Hyuuga raised an eyebrow "I am assuming then that this organization is powerful enough to pose a threat to the village?" because he really couldn't see Tsunade going after a bunch of random fanatics just because they wanted to kill Uchiha.

"So far, they've been collecting more and more powerful individuals." Her brown gaze focused directly on Neji "Hinata was seriously injured by one of those members in her last mission due to their unique abilities given to them by Orochimaru."

"Orochimaru?" Neji repeated but his eyes slid over to the Uchiha whose expression suddenly became very hard and very focused at the mention of his cousin. If he remembered correctly, it was actually Uchiha who had been on that mission with Hinata. "Remnants of his old experiments?"

"Yes," Tsunade confirmed "Which is why they pose a threat. If they're getting people like that on their side I have no doubt that even if by some chance they achieved their goal that they wouldn't stop there. This is happening in our land so I want to nip this in the bud before it can explode any further."

"I am assuming that if this organization is this determined they would be well acquainted with Uchiha's face correct?"

"I'm bait." Sasuke accurately observed "That's why it's not a covert operation. We're supposed to be out in the open to draw them out."

"Glad you understand." Reaching in her desk she pulled out a Konoha headband "I'm assuming that Neji still has his old one so this one is for you Uchiha. It's up to you if you want to wear the vest or not, we don't force our jounin to wear them."

The room became very quiet. Tsunade and Sasuke locked gazes, a silent war waging between them. After a moment, the Hokage scowled.

"Uchiha." It was a warning, plain and simple.

Stiffly, the man in question continued to keep his gaze on Tsunade as he snatched up the headband and tied it around his head, hiding the bandages where his seal lay. He looked murderous.

_It…looks so wrong on him now._

"You've got three days." She warned them "Any longer than that and our contacts will get jumpy. They're putting themselves on the line by helping us, don't forget that. Any information is better than no information. Since it's you two, I am expecting outstanding results. If there are no questions, the two of you are dismissed. Go say goodbye to your girlfriends if you haven't already." She added with a sneer and once again Sasuke stiffened but remained silent.

Turning, the two of them sidestepped the poor bastards that were trying to remove the Hokage's chair from the far wall outside where it was deeply buried. Two chunnin stood looking confused at the shattered door as if to say 'What are we supposed to do about _this_?'

As they were walking down the steps from the building the fallen avenger spoke first "Go ahead, I know you've been trying to figure it out."

Neji smiled a little thinly "You made a deal with the Hokage, what for?"

A muscle ticked in his jaw "It's personal." He deadpanned.

"Not if it involves my family."

They stopped walking and faced each other. All of the pieces began to fit together and a sick feeling formed in the pit of his stomach as he looked at Sasuke's grim expression and cold crimson eyes. It…it was impossible, yet the small signs, the reactions, Tsunade's innuendos….

"You can't be…" Neji found himself paling "You are doing this…for Hinata-sama?" It didn't make any _sense_, this was the same man who had tormented his cousin for three weeks straight, causing him to have to become her bodyguard for almost a year; when his first probation period had ended.

No, it did make sense, in a rather twisted way. Neji remembered the reports concerning Hinata's missions, all of which Sauske had been forced to accompany her on. After that Hinata's missions became standard for about six months and then Tsunade paired them both on an escort mission. Now a deal has been struck between the Uchiha and the Hokage, a deal where he has to reacclimate himself back into life as a Konoha shinobi, the very thing the Uchiha detests.

He wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen the exchange just now, the concept of this entire situation was insane and should have been impossible. It can't be because he actually _feels_ for his cousin…

"Why are you doing this?" he frowned thoughtfully at the other man "Are you trying to use Hinata-sama to rebuild your clan because she has –"

"_No._" he cut off sharply, his eyes narrowing "As for the real reason, I'm doing this because I feel like it. That's all you really need to know."

Neji blinked at him "I see. Alright then." Shrugging, he continued his trek down the stairs.

"That's all you have to say?" he could hear the mixture of amusement and confusion in his voice "No threats on my life? No warnings to stay away?"

"You would not be doing something like this just to harm her in the end." Neji explained "Furthermore, I don't know Hinata-sama's half of the story so I cannot make a judgment based on the limited knowledge you have given me. If I feel that you're full of shit, you will definitely know of it." He said the last part bluntly "I am curious, why Hinata-sama?"

The grin that graced the Uchiha's face was wry and bittersweet "I don't know." And Neji could tell he wasn't lying. There was too much weight and emotion in those words.

If he sat down and thought on it, he could come up with possibly several different reasons why the Uchiha is doing something like this, including the ones that should be not only improbable but impossible. Neji, however, definitely believed in the saying "Once you believe in the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth". Unsurprisingly, this belief came about while dealing with Rock Lee and Maito Gai for years on end. The one thing he could confirm with all of the reasons was that whatever it was, the Uchiha would not harm his cousin in any way, shape or form. Not if that hard and haunted look on his face when Tsunade had mentioned Hinata's injuries meant anything.

_This definitely falls under 'impossible' and 'improbable'._

Things were about to become really interesting in the Hyuuga household.

xxxxx

Tsunade sat behind her desk in the office, door closed. There were two other occupants, Mitarashi Anko who was standing towards the middle of the room and Hatake Kakashi who was sitting on her window sill. Of course he's reading his porn.

Sighing, the Hokage leaned forward, propping her chin up on her hands "So," she said "What do you think?"

"Five years." Anko came in "After that we'll let them start handling it." There was a small shrug "I already spoke to Kakashi about it, I'm game."

Brown eyes drifted towards the silver haired jounin "Well?" she raised an eyebrow.

"I say do it." He didn't look up from his book "Something like this will benefit us in the long run anyway. Besides, they'll need the experience."

With another sigh Tsunade moved her hands through her hair "How do we know we can trust this? Do you honestly believe nothing will go south if I slap an okay on it?"

Closing his book, Kakashi looked directly at the Hokage "This is the first time this has ever happened," he began "we can trust –"

A knock on the door interrupted their meeting and Tsunade glared up at the door "Unless you're Uzumaki Naruto or Haruno Sakura get away from my door!" she had told ANBU she didn't want anyone trying to bug her for this delicate situation.

The door opens and a familiar pink-haired student of hers waves nervously as she walks in. "We're here, Tsunade-sama."

Naruto being Naruto bursts in with a huge grin on his face, pausing when he notices the two jounin "Uh…"

"I gotta go take care of some things." Anko suddenly said, raising a hand "Let me know if you need anything else Hokage-sama."

"I have a mission for you two." Tsunade began and pulled out a scroll "This is top secret and it needs to delivered directly to the Kazekage, _no one else_. There's some things you need to know before you leave."

Both Naruto and Sakura were stunned as they left the Hokage's office with their new knowledge. Sakura especially, because her role was going to be extremely important. The pink-haired woman is in complete shock at the news and the fact that she had actually been requested because of her skills. And Tsunade had said yes. It was mind numbing, frightening, and exhilarating all at the same time. There would be so many things to do and…

"You okay Sakura-chan?" her fiancé asks, pulling her hand into his. He gives her a warm smile "You're pale."

"Just…" she shook her head and gave Naruto a reassuring smile "stunned." She admits "I'm just stunned at how everything was handled."

Naruto's grin was sheepish "Yeah, I know what you mean," his laugh was slightly nervous "but I can't wait! It'll be so awesome."

She nods, smiling sweetly at him. Inwardly, she giggles at his slight blush as he turns his head in embarrassment. She understands how happy he is about their relationship, how he had never thought it would happen. Hell, if you would have asked her five years ago she would have said "Hell no!" and killed the poor sap who had managed to utter such 'nonsense'.

But kids grow up and things change. Sakura could understand a bit of how Hinata felt. The brunette hadn't stopped loving Naruto, just as she had never stopped loving Sasuke. They had simply found someone they loved more.

The fact that Hinata was even with someone like Sasuke was still mind boggling. This was the same girl who had never even looked twice at the boy when they had been children and now she could possibly be marrying him in a year. The fact that Sasuke was getting married _at all_ was insane to her. All that anger and hatred, he had been so cruel to everyone in the beginning. He was dark and oppressive. More than likely, Hinata would be in for a painful ride on all sides. She was still a gentle soul and Sasuke was still a violent, angry man. They were complete and total opposites yet Sakura couldn't get the image of that day out of her mind. Sasuke about to kill the client that had betrayed them and then there was Hinata, gently touching his arm. At the time, seeing that, seeing him calm down _because_ of that had hurt. Sakura had also been not a little bit jealous of Hinata, because she hadn't understood what that girl had that she hadn't all those years ago.

In the end, it was because Hinata was the way she was that the two of them fit together harmoniously. Naruto had told her about Sasuke going to him for advice about the situation and he had looked so eager and happy for him she honestly couldn't help but to feel the same way. There was a small part of her, however, that worried not for Sasuke but for Hinata. Even if he was no longer in a criminal status he was still a very dangerous person and it was quite clear that he was still a bit mentally unstable.

"Hinata-chan…" Sakura began, turning as bright blue eyes focused on her curiously "Will he...will he ever betray her?" _Like he did us?_

A dark but thoughtful expression moved over her fiancé's face. It was a very valid question but Naruto shook his head.

"Naw." He said with the utmost confidence "If there's one thing about Sasuke it's that once he loves you, he loves you. He'll never betray the ones he loves."

"You really think he loves her?"

"Yeah." It was said softly, a bit solemnly "When we sparred that day and I talked to him, he's confused about some things but he is absolutely set on having her in his life after what happened."

"Oh, you mean when Hinata was hurt on that mission?" using her key she opened the door to their apartment and they began to split up to pack for the long trip.

"Yeah," he responds, stuffing clothes haphazardly into his pack. Sakura rolls her eyes; 'neat' and 'organized' are not words Naruto will ever register in that brain of his. She has no idea how she's going to deal with it when they get married, she's a bit of a neat freak. "He's only been devastated by three deaths in his life," Naruto explained "The death of his clan, the death of his brother, and those few moments when Hinata-chan had actually died. Yeah, he loves her."

She's happy when her sigh of relief is heartfelt. Yes, people definitely change.

xxxxx

Neji wasn't big on talking. He was a pretty silent person for the most part. He spoke when he needed to or when someone was asking him something. On missions he was also quiet, he really did enjoy silence.

Except he was sharing that silence with one Uchiha Sasuke who exerted as much tranquility and peace of mind as a boulder floating in water. The silence was actually oppressing, the guy was extremely dark and cold, he had absolutely no idea how Hinata could have ever fallen for someone like him.

"Do you have a thing for Hinata?" the Uchiha suddenly asked as they were walking their path to their destination.

The question caught him so off guard he actually tripped on his own feet and stumbled a bit before regaining his composure "Absolutely not!" he denied vehemently "First of all, Hinata-sama is my _cousin_ –"

"So?" Sasuke turned to him, raising an eyebrow "Don't be stupid, how do you think bloodlines stay pure? Any clan member that marries a clan member is related to them in some way, shape, or form. My father and mother were third cousins."

Huh. This was new, Sasuke being talkative about his past…or anything about himself really "I'm not daft," Neji defended "but most outsiders don't understand that about clans."

Tilting his head, Sasuke grinned "So you're saying you _did_ have something for her?"

"Stop fucking with me, Uchiha." He finally snapped, _highly_ irritated "Secondly, I'm already engaged. Why are you asking me that anyway?"

"Just wondering." And the other man shrugged. "The girl with the two buns?"

"Yes…" he gave the other man a look "Her name is Tenten…how did you know that? Did Hinata-sama tell you?"

"No, it's just been _really_ obvious that you two are together. And the percentage of female team mates who marry one of their male counterparts is well over fifty percent and I know she wouldn't marry Rock Lee."

"If you knew that I was involved with someone else, why did you ask me that about Hinata-sama?" he scowled "And how do you even know about stuff like that? One would think you wouldn't care."

"I asked you because I felt like it. And contrary to popular belief, I didn't forget how to read while I was away."

"Huh. I didn't think you'd be the type of guy to sit down and read." Neji mused.

"I didn't think you were straight, but appearances can be deceiving." He snapped back. "Unless you go both ways."

"No, I don't."

"Good, because I don't either."

The Hyuuga actually found himself resisting the urge to smirk and somehow the air felt less tense. He had heard about the Uchiha's penchant for fighting people with words instead of his fists since he couldn't lash out physically. Normally Neji would have been offended and probably not a little pissed off, yet that small exchange had actually been…interesting.

"Are those kids still following us?" he sounded bored.

Activating his Byakugan he spotted the two children that had been tailing them since they had left the village. "Yes, yes they are." Didn't the kids have parents? Why were they even following them anyway? "They keep running too close and then backing off once they've realized their mistake."

Abruptly, Sasuke stopped walking. After a good five minutes he turned behind him "If you're going to try and kill me, hurry up and get it over with so you can stop following us."

"Huh?" giving the Uchiha a funny look he watched as two children dressed in practically rags came running out of the bushes with…he _guessed_ they were spears.

In two seconds Neji was being tossed the…weapons while Sasuke held the two kids out in front of him, his dark eyes blank. They squirmed and struggled, shouting obscenities until they tired themselves out. Two boys, less than ten years of age. Both had dirty brown hair and brown eyes, said eyes were glaring at the man holding them up by the scruff of their necks.

"You know these children?" Neji asked him, confused.

"No." he said flatly "I killed their parents and brother during the Shinobi War."

"Oh." Was all Neji could say. "Wait, how do you know –"

"I don't forget faces." Sasuke interjected and let the boys go, both dropping on their behinds hard. "Go train." He told the boys "Come find me in a year and then I'll fight you."

Without another word he turned and continued on the path. The boys looked at him with open hostility but didn't follow. With a sigh Neji turned and followed his partner. Uchiha Sasuke made absolutely no sense to him.

"Why did you tell those boys to find you in a year?" he asked.

"Don't worry about it." He said, which meant that he was done discussing it.

They continued on for a while in silence, Neji off in his own thoughts and, well, who knew what the hell Uchiha Sasuke thought about. Probably slaughtering kittens or something equally disturbing. It was nightfall when they saw their destination over the hill, which was when Sasuke spoke up again.

"I thought you said you'd kill me if I ever went near Hinata again." His tone was emotionless.

The Hyuuga almost rolled his eyes. So, he was back to being annoying."I've already explained how I felt about that." He said flatly "I may not be aware of all the details, but I understand enough."

"Hn." Once again he sounded bored.

_I see this is going to be a fun mission._ "Tell me Uchiha, were you this annoying while traveling with Hinata-sama?"

There was a moment's hesitation "No." then he smirked "I was too busy trying to molest her."

Activating his Byakugan instantly, he lunged at him.

Hours later in the hotel room the two 'jounin' were sitting on their respective beds nursing several bruises. The Uchiha looked amused as he lay back on his bed, hair still damp from his shower.

White eyes glared over at the fallen avenger "You know," he began, highly irritated "if you had wanted to spar that badly, you could have just _said_ so instead of provoking me." Neji snaps at him, rubbing at his sore shoulder.

"You would have held back." Came the monotone voice "And really, I just enjoy pissing you off."

_Of course he does._ _He's been going out of his way to be a pain in the ass since he was dragged back to Konoha. _"You would think one would try not to provoke the person who holds a large influence over the person you are trying to be with. It doesn't seem productive."

Sasuke shrugged "For one, Hinata wouldn't believe you because she's expecting you not to support her concerning our relationship since I'm of…questionable background. Secondly, I'm not going to let anyone get in my way concerning her."

There was silence as Neji thought about Uchiha's words. He was a little overprotective over his cousin and had he not seen the evidence of Sasuke's loyalty and determination to be with her first hand he would have told her to stay away from him. But that wasn't something Uchiha would have needed to point out considering his personality. In short, he didn't find Neji to be a threat to his relationship with Hinata.

"You want something from me, don't you?" Neji realized. Sasuke was aware that he was supportive – as supportive as he could be considering – and the Uchiha didn't enjoy wasting words – unless he was being an asshole – which meant…

"Hiashi's going to fight me on this." The Uchiha told him "He and your council of elders have already pitched a bitch about it so far."

"So they do know." He had been curious but since he technically was only privy to this information because of the couple themselves he hadn't wanted to bring it up to his uncle. "You should know that I don't hold enough influence –"

"I don't need you to do anything but support Hinata." He interjected "They're going to try and dissuade her and if that doesn't work they'll use intimidation. I can't protect her in her own house and if I do anything they'll use it as an argument."

"Wait," Neji frowned "You do realize that Hinata-sama is of marrying age correct? Why argue when they can just marry her off to someone else?"

"Because _I'm_ the one who is involved." He explained calmly. Sitting up, he looked at Neji "It's not strictly a clan matter because I 'technically' belong to the Hokage and so she has to represent me. She will have some say if they tried to marry her off. With that said, I had Tsunade put it in writing and Hiashi had to agree to the terms."

He had to admit he was impressed. When Uchiha decided to do something he was thorough, considering all angles and reacting accordingly. He may still be half mad but an idiot he was not.

"You're going through a lot of trouble and she might say 'No'."

A dark expression came over Sasuke and he lay back on the bed "Not if I have anything to say about it."

He wasn't quite sure if he liked the way Sasuke's chakra had spiked for a moment, even though his voice had been as flat as always.

Suddenly, he was very worried for his cousin. The Uchiha was doing all of these things for her now but what if she rejected him? Neji had a real fear that his attitude would do a complete one eighty and her safety from him could very well vanish.

_Damnit, Hinata. Out of all the men in Konoha you had to go and fall for the ticking time bomb._


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

xxxxx

The first day they had visited the contacts listed and learned that there was a specific tavern where many of the Red Death suspected members frequented. So that night they had scouted it out and found nothing too much out of the ordinary on the outside besides certain members flashing what looked like a red pin on their clothes.

Neji spotted an underground passage with many chakra signatures below, confirming that they weren't just selling beer there.

"We need to get a hold of some of those pins." He said in the room after they had finished scouting the area "We could disguise ourselves and get in that way."

"Or," Sasuke began, a hand over his eyes as he lie on his bed "I could just go and knock on the door. I think they'd be happy to see me."

The Hyuuga snorted at the ridiculous notion "I don't ever remember you being this cynical, Uchiha."

"It keeps me sane." He said and Neji had a feeling he was being completely honest.

"In any case, it seems that our arrival has caught the attention of several individuals," he informed Uchiha "There were about ten individuals total keeping track of your comings and goings."

His lips thinned "Are you sure it was ten?"

Raising an eyebrow, Neji tilted his head at the other male in inquiry "Yes, that's what I saw with the Byakugan."

There was a moment of silence "I think it might be safe to say that this organization was able to hire all of Orochimaru's rejects. The ones that Hinata couldn't see with her Byakugan?"

"Those creatures?"

"Yeah. I counted twelve people, not ten. That means there's two of them possibly here. I couldn't sense their chakra, I only noticed them through visual."

He digested this "You had been able to with the first two, correct?"

A small nod "The little girl. But they weren't the strongest. Five survived, the two females were the weakest, there were two others that were stronger and then there was Niro."

"Niro?" He wasn't sure if he enjoyed the fact that he could be going up against people he wouldn't be able to see. How were they able to keep from being detected? It should be impossible.

"Niro was the closest to what Orochimaru had been aiming for with that project. I saw it once, it'll be annoying."

"Niro wasn't originally human when Orochimaru experimented on it?"

"I…don't know what the hell that thing was." Sasuke answered honestly "It was genderless and didn't look like any human I'd ever laid eyes on. All I remember is it can completely disguise its chakra, it's actually decently powerful and, at the time, it was completely immune to the effects of my Sharingan. It wasn't complete but Orochimaru had said it was the closest thing to what he had wanted."

Frowning, Neji began to think. How could he fight something he couldn't sense or see?

"If they got Niro it'll be underground." The Uchiha reasoned "Like a secret weapon."

The Hyuuga snorted "Maybe you should go barging in there after all."

"I'll give them another day." Sasuke said "There'll be an assassination attempt on me tomorrow."

Well hell. "It's good to know you're so popular with the locals." The Hyuuga said dryly.

At this, Sasuke smirked "I'll be using my katana to sign autographs."

xxxxx

"Are. You. Insane?" Inuzuka Kiba threw his hands up in frustration and walked over to an empty chair "You can't seriously expect us to support this, do you?"

Kurenai's expression was impassive as she took in Hinata sitting on her couch with her old team mates. Shino was also quiet, merely looking over at his friend while he sat beside her on the couch. Kiba was absolutely livid and to be honest Kurenai couldn't blame him.

"Hinata," Kurenai came in, giving her former student a look "do you love him?"

The question threw the girl off guard and she looked up at Kurenai in confusion "Um," she frowned "I don't know." Came the honest answer.

"Hinata." Kiba got up and walked over to her, kneeling down "He abused you for three weeks straight and you want to get married to the guy now?"

She knew that this would happen. Hinata had been hesitant to go to them but it was better they found out through her instead of a third party.

"But," she began softly "He's also saved me many times."

Kiba just stared at her as if he couldn't even believe she was defending him. Shino adjusted his shades.

"If this is what you want," her friend began, "I will support you."

Three sets of eyes turned to him in surprise. Hinata's eyes warmed as she smiled gratefully at him, Kurenai didn't look pleased and Kiba exploded.

"What the hell, Shino?" he exclaimed "Are you seriously going to allow that guy to continue to hurt Hinata –"

"I do not believe he will ever harm her again." Aburame said coolly "When Uchiha first arrived he was extremely volatile and enraged. Months after the Hokage sends you and Hinata out on a mission with him it is Hinata, and _only_ Hinata, who was able to calm him at the end. In fact, since becoming involved with Hinata his attitude has changed drastically. This 'deal' Hinata has informed us of, to me, lets me know that Hinata is not going to be involved in a harmful relationship." He adjusted his shades again "In any case, Hinata has always been a good judge of character. The fact that Uchiha Sasuke was able to claim her heart to begin with speaks volumes."

"But he's also mentally unstable." Kurenai finally interjected "I'm sure he means well right now but what if they get into an argument or he has one of his violent fits?"

Hinata wanted so desperately to tell them that it wasn't like that at all but she knew it would fall on deaf ears. His reputation was simply too tainted.

"Hinata has one year," Shino spoke up again "which means we have one year to observe Uchiha and form an opinion then. Obviously, Hinata sees something in him that we do not, we should discover what that is on our own."

Looking over at Shino, she gives her friend another smile and he lightly pats her hand. "Do not misunderstand," he explained "I am not pleased that it is Uchiha that you have fallen for; but I will always support your decisions."

That was all Hinata could ask for, truly.

"What about your clan?" Kurenai asked, sighing. It was obvious she didn't like the situation at all but was in consensus with Shino's point. "I'm sure your father wasn't too pleased."

She shook her head "Father has not spoken to me about it yet," she told them "I'm sure he knows but no one has even hinted that they believe something is going on."

Another sigh "Hinata, if you truly decide to be with him, I'll support you. But _please_ be careful. The last thing any of us want is for something to happen to you."

"Whatever." Kiba growled, his version of agreeing. "Just let us know when we need to go kick his ass."

Later on Shino is walking Hinata home while when he decides to speak up again.

"Will you really leave the village for him?" was the question.

It was a valid question and one she wasn't sure she could answer. Sasuke was putting himself in a position that he had sworn he'd never do for her sake. He actually put aside his pride so that when the time came they would be able to leave peacefully. Of course, he hasn't shared the details and she's been too afraid to ask. Hugging herself she looks down at the ground.

"I don't know what I want to do, Shino-kun." She said eventually "I want to be with him, but that means I have to marry him, which means I'd have to leave the village. I understand his reasons and I support them but…"

"Time will help your decision." Shino supplied "Everything between the two of you regarding admitting feelings came about quickly, you are naturally going to be confused."

She stopped walking and turned to her long time friend "Can I tell you something?" he nodded. She tells him about that night in the hotel room when he had come to her and the things he had said. She hasn't given any details to anyone but she feels that if anyone would understand it would be Shino. She also tells him about his visit before he had left on his mission. There is silence when she finishes and after a long moment he inclines his head towards her.

"I believe he genuinely cares for you, although he would probably never admit it." Shino eventually said "I wouldn't worry about him trying to push you away again. It seems that being with you is the conclusion he desires."

She gave him a lopsided smile "Thank you Shino-kun." It felt good to know that she wasn't going to be alone in this. Sakura and Shino were fully supporting her. Neji was...on the fence? He really hadn't said much one way or the other.

Once again she entered the Hyuuga compound and no one came to tell her that they wanted to see her, no confrontations yet. The fact that it hadn't happened yet was more uncomfortable than it actually happening. Were they planning something?

After bathing she walked over to the window that Sasuke had come from last night. There were a few things she was confused about, but missing him was not one of them. The end of the week couldn't come fast enough.

xxxxx

"Hyuuga, I blame you one hundred percent for this." Sasuke snapped at his partner "The fact that I am standing here, in this building, with no one to kill is somehow your fault."

White eyes glared at him "You're the one with assassins after you." Neji reminded, not looking sorry at all. He was using his Byakugan to survey the now empty tavern for any clues.

"Yeah, the assassin that _you_ let get away." He reminded the other male.

Neji ignored the pouting Uchiha. Really, he didn't give a damn that the man wasn't going to be able to kill indiscriminately, he'd just have to get over it.

"I don't get what Hinata-sama sees in him." Neji muttered darkly to himself as he thought he spotted something off to the other side of the building.

"I found the door that leads to the underground." He called out to Neji "I'll just go and –"

"And what?" the Hyuuga asked. Byakugan still activated he raised an eyebrow and turned towards him "Why are you thrashing on the ground?"

There were some dark mutterings and the sound of something hissing "Turn off…" he grunted "Your Byakugan. You _idiot_."

His vision returns to normal and his eyes widen as there's a…_thing_ on top of Sasuke, massive fangs and claws trying to get in closer to rip the man apart. It was a pale white creature that seemed to be some sort of bio weapon, it was creating its blades from its own body. Was that even possible?

"What _is_ that?"

"This…" another grunt and then Sasuke finally managed to throw the creature up and over him, causing it to crash on some empty tables. "Is Niro."

The creature shifted into a more humanoid form and pure black eyes shifted over to Neji. It hissed, revealing a disgusting mouth full of fangs. There was only one thing that had emerged in his mind upon seeing the creature.

_Orochimaru was one sick bastard._

"Can you kill it?" the Hyuuga moved cautiously, his eyes narrowing at the creature he couldn't see and thusly, couldn't hurt, with his Byakugan. It continued to hiss at both of them, backing off.

There was the sliding of metal from a sheath "Yes." The word held a dark promise as Sasuke began to close the distance between him and the creature. Claws shifted to human hands and the creature began to make a series of hand signs. Obviously Sasuke knew what they were because his eyes widened slightly in alarm. "Hold your breath." He warned and turned to leave the building.

The room exploded with a dark green gas and both males had to run out or risk exposure.

"What the hell was that?" Neji demanded, looking over at the tavern as green smoke began to come out and up.

"An extremely poisonous gas that if you had breathed in…maybe it's better if you didn't know." He added as an afterthought, scowling at the building "He did it to get away."

"We'll wait until the smoke clears and then we'll go see if there's anything underground we can use to get more information on these guys. It will probably take a few hours so it would be best if we returned to the hotel and got out of these clothes and washed."

Sliding his sword back into its sheath Sasuke nodded and began to follow Neji out.

In the end they didn't get as much as they would have liked but they did get some names of some important individuals apparently funding the organization. If there had been any information on the leader they must have taken it upon abandoning the town.

He had to admit he was a little annoyed with himself, he _had_ let that assassin get away even though the other male had had a grip on the situation. Granted they still found information, but they would have found a lot more had the assassin not gone back and warned the rest. It was too late now, they would have to deal with what they had.

The walk back had been quiet, both males lost in their own thoughts. It has been over three days since he has seen Tenten and he is desperate to get home and sneak into her apartment. He has no idea why he keeps doing it when she always freaks out and tries to kill him with a various assortment of weapons but not everything in the world needed to make sense to be good.

Like his cousin being with Uchiha, for example.

"Have you thought about how you're going to see her when you get back?" Neji eventually asks him when they're about an hour or so away from the village. Sasuke scowls, confirming his suspicion that he was thinking about Hinata just as he had been thinking about Tenten. He didn't know if he should feel happy or appalled.

"For an extended period of time?" he looked thoughtful "I'll figure something out."

_I'm going to hate myself for doing this later._ "If you want, Uchiha," he began, fighting off the urge to sigh "I can give her a message for you two to meet up somewhere."

Suspicion lit dark eyes as he regarded the Hyuuga "Why?"

"Because, it'll make my cousin happy." And it was as simple as that.

Whatever it was Sasuke felt for Hinata, he had proven it to be genuine more than enough times. The fact that he had asked Neji to look after her where he couldn't was more than enough for him.

"Just tell her to meet me at my apartment." He said after a long moment of silence. He looked thoughtful.

Protective senses tingling, Neji flashed the Uchiha a glare "Uchiha…"

Dark eyes slid over to his partner and he sighed "No, I'm not _really_ going to molest your cousin and until she gives me an answer it'll stay that way." He grimaced slightly and Neji had to admit he was a little impressed and sympathetic. It was hard to not want to be intimate when you desired someone. Especially when you haven't seen them in days. "I had something else in mind."

The Hyuuga raised an eyebrow but didn't question it; he probably wouldn't answer anyway. Well, as long as he wasn't trying anything he'd just deal with it. Trying to keep them apart would only make things worse anyway.

"I'll let her know the moment I see her." He promised and nothing else was said between them.

xxxxx

Amusement played on his features briefly as Hinata entered his apartment to the smell of food cooking with no small bit of surprise. She was wearing her standard jacket and pants and while he wouldn't admit it, he had been eager to get back and see her.

The door hadn't even closed all the way before he pulled her into his arms. She let out a small cry as her back was pressed against his body. Dipping his head he breathed in her scent and a small noise emerged from his throat as it hits him hard that he has not been around this woman in over three days and for some reason it felt like three days too long.

"Hey." He says, his face buried in her neck, his arms wrapped around her tightly. When she relaxes he begins to place soft kisses along her neck and damn it felt good to touch her and taste her skin.

All of this was so new to him, he had _never_ been attracted to a girl like this before much less had a girlfriend. He wasn't even sure if he could call her his girlfriend under the circumstances.

Small hands move over his arms and she lets out a small sigh. "Hi. I missed you." She admits and he agrees with her, even if he can't say it out loud. Instead he tries to show her through actions, turning her around to face him, his hand moving to stroke the soft skin of her cheek. She closes her eyes at the contact and something clenches hard in his gut.

He hadn't been lying when he had told Neji that he wouldn't sleep with Hinata until she had given him an answer, but he hadn't realized just how damn difficult it would be to do so. An entire year? He didn't know if he could do it. He hasn't even kissed her yet and already he wants her.

"_Are you in love with Hinata-chan?"_

Naruto's words enter his mind as he pulls her in, kissing her passionately, his arms tight around her body. Would she understand what he was trying to convey or would she just think of him as some horny asshole?

Which, he kind of was at the moment, but that was beside the point.

Did he love Hinata? What did that word even mean anyway? He knew that he wanted to be with her, that there wasn't anyone else but her that he'd be able to live his life with. He knows that right as she had stepped into his apartment it had been like breathing in a breath of fresh air. Everything about her was intoxicating to him and now that he wasn't fighting the desire to touch and kiss her he felt…relaxed.

Being around her relaxed him.

He parts from her lips, both breathing with labored breaths. Her hands slide up his chest and her touch feels amazing to him. Who knew that one day he actually wouldn't mind having a girl touch him or feel up on him? Growing up he had always found females to be annoying. Too loud, too clingy and superficial. None of them liked him for him, they had all just thought of him as a cute face.

She breathes his name and he has to actually force his body to remain still for a moment because of the reaction it pulls from him. He feels completely out of control and mindless, all thoughts involved and centered on this one woman. It wasn't possible to desire someone this much, was it?

"You're cooking something." Her soft voice cuts through the fog of his confused mind and he looks down at her, his expression blank. Hinata's eyes are wide and bright with emotion, her face flushed and her lips red from their kissing.

"You're beautiful." He finds himself saying and both parties look at each other with surprise. He hadn't meant to say that out loud but it wasn't as if he were lying.

Her face turns a cute shade of red and she looks away from his intense gaze, shy. He likes it, he likes everything about her.

Was that love?

Ignoring his own mental question he takes her hand and walks into his apartment "Chicken." He informed her "And salad. Girls like salad right?" he raised an eyebrow at her and she blinked at him curiously before giggling.

"I like salad." She tells him, smiling warmly.

Disoriented, a little confused, and his emotions all over the place he walks back into the kitchen. He tries to calm himself and organize the jumbled mess that's his mind. All he's known is pain, anger, hatred. Those are all familiar emotions that he can categorize and deal with. These feelings, how he feels whenever he is around Hinata and only Hinata are too new and he can't sort himself out whenever he's around her. Maybe he should have had a girlfriend back then; maybe then he'd know what the hell he was doing.

He feels her hand slide up his arm as she stands beside him, a little concerned "Are you alright Sasuke?"

_No, I'm not alright. I don't know what the hell I am right now._ "Yeah." He lies, brushing some stray strands of hair away from her face "Nothing bad happened while I was gone did it?"

Shaking her head she gives him a reassuring smile "My father hasn't spoken to me about it but I've spoken to my old team mates and it's fifty-fifty concerning you."

He snorted "Let me guess, Inuzuka against, Aburame for." Her eyes widened and he knew he had guessed correctly "Aburame seems to think you're competent enough to do things on your own and ask for help if you need it," he explains his reasoning to her "Inuzuka's about as bad as Naruto so he was probably loud as hell."

Leaning into him she laughs softly and he puts an arm around her, wondering how he came to this point right here. A lot of things have happened to him, the majority of them horrible, so it was weird to actually _feel_ happy. He's not sure what he's supposed to do about it, it's just _there_ and he can't seem to identify with it.

"Um, are you sure you're okay?" she drags him from his thoughts again, a tiny frown on her face "You keep looking angry."

He was? "Sorry." He says gruffly and walks over as the timer goes off to get the chicken.

"I didn't know you could cook." She says lightly, looking around his apartment "You always made me do it."

"Your food tastes better." He said honestly. Her homemade cooking reminded him of his mother's. It hurt but felt nice at the same time. "Don't get used to this, though." He says, giving her a look "This is like, a once a year thing."

They fix themselves plates and they sit down at his little round table to eat. He looks off to the side, he normally does this when eating, and notices that she's giggling and it obviously was at his expense.

"Um," she begins, pointing to his bowl of 'salad' "Is that a salad or a bowl of cherry tomatoes?"

"Both." He mutters and eats one just because. "I like tomatoes." There was some lettuce in there, maybe a cucumber or two. As far as he was concerned, his 'salad' was outstanding.

He notices her looking as if she's making a mental note of it out of the corner of his eye. If she cooks anything with tomatoes in it in the future he'd have to be sure to thank her…in his own way of course.

They don't talk much while they eat but it doesn't seem to bother either of them. The air is light and pleasant and he wonders when was the last time he had been around a female – mothers definitely do not count - and just enjoyed her presence instead of listening to her mouth?

Oh wait. Never.

She helps him with the dishes and he doesn't protest, she'd just do it anyway, and they now found themselves sprawled out on his couch not really paying any attention to the movie playing on his television. Well, he's not, she seems interested. He is moving his fingers through her hair and lightly rubbing her arm from time to time. Sasuke had really expected her to be stiff and unapproachable since things were still slightly uneasy between them and he had been sent on mission almost immediately. Instead it felt as if she actually lived here, which wouldn't bother him at all.

Apparently she said something to him and he hadn't been paying attention because the next moment she was shifting to get a better look at him. Their gazes met.

"Um, you're not watching this, are you?" she asks and he gives her a slow smile, confirming her suspicions.

"This is more interesting." He murmurs, his fingers brushing along her side. He was so glad he got her out of that damn jacket, a guy could get used to a body like hers.

She turns until she is looking directly up at him, her hand moving to his cheek. She looks amazed, as if she can't believe that she's here with him and they're like _this_. He can empathize, it felt weird to him as well. Not a bad weird. Just weird. Different.

Then the next second he realizes as he's kissing along her neck that they are definitely now making out on his couch and how did this happen again? She makes a soft sound underneath him as his hand slides up her leg which was almost wrapped around his waist. Their lips crash again as he deepens the kiss, her mouth parting. Their tongues mingle and he becomes possessive, passionate. It doesn't help that she's matching him tit for tat and then she raised her hips, arching herself into him.

It takes a lot for him to pull away but he somehow manages. Their breathing is irregular and he can see the desire in her hooded eyes, her lips are slightly parted, face flushed.

_Shit._

Sitting up she looks a little embarrassed by her own behavior. His hand gently pushes her back down by the shoulder. Leaning back in he goes slower this time, enjoying the feel of a soft woman underneath him. He felt as if he was in some sort of bizarre movie about his life and he's watching in the background. He keeps wondering how this particular moment happened, how did he go from being an avenger to…

"Don't do that." He growled at her, breaking from their kiss. She kept rocking her hips up against him and the warmth of her is about to drive him insane. As if in warning he mimics her gesture except the other way around. She gasps in surprise and he swallows it with a kiss. Who knew there were intense feelings beyond what he has felt during his tragic life?

Then something absolutely _fucked up_ happened.

"Hey you bastard!" his 'best friend' burst into his apartment – without knocking of course, he hardly ever knocks – a bottle of sake in one hand "I heard you got back from your mission and…" he pauses as he sees their position on the couch. Hinata tries to bury her face into Sasuke's chest and Naruto gives him a sly grin "Am I interrupting –"

"Get out!" the brunette snaps – or rather yells – at him "Learn to fucking knock next time, idiot!"

"Okay okay! My bad, I didn't _know_ you were going to be _preoccupied_ at this time of ni –"

"Naruto. Get. Out." He growls between clenched teeth. The Uchiha made a mental note to beat the hell out of his 'best friend' tomorrow for this. It was bad enough he still owed him for the 'Ring Incident That Shall Not Be Spoken of Ever Again'.

Not that he hadn't needed the distraction, he had been five seconds away from saying 'fuck it' and dragging her into his bedroom. It was too much, _she_ was too much, it didn't make sense for someone to feel that good.

Naruto leaves, laughing on his way out – gods he was going to beat the _shit_ out of him tomorrow – and he looks down at poor Hinata who is embarrassed beyond belief.

He gives her an apologetic smirk "Sorry." This time he does back away from her and gets up from the couch entirely to walk into his bedroom to breathe a little bit. It was too damn hot in that room.

Putting both hands through his hair he lets out a frustrated sigh. When he comes back out she's sitting up, her face still red. She didn't go put her jacket back on, however, so he counted that as a good sign.

"You okay?" he asks her and she nods, as if she doesn't trust her own voice. "I'm really sorry about that idiot, he never knocks."

Her gaze shifts from him shyly and she shakes her head before looking back up at him with those innocent eyes.

"Stay here tonight." He offers and her eyes widen. "That's not what I meant. Come here." Shyly she gets up and puts her tiny hand into his and he walks with her into his room. He closes the door – and locks it from annoying blondes bursting through – and pulls her into bed with him. His arms wrap around her middle and he presses her back to him, like before at the hotel. He buries his face in her neck.

"I can actually sleep when you're here." He admits and she makes a soft sound, a mixture between shocked and happy. He can't get over how good she smells, what is that anyway? Lavender? It was nice, whatever it was.

Her presence relaxes him and eventually he does close his eyes and drifts into a dreamless sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

xxxxx

This was starting to really piss him off. This was not the first or second time, this was the third time and he's irritated as hell. Three times in the past month he and Hinata have tried to plan doing something together, only to cancel because of some ridiculous ANBU mission that he and Neji just _had_ to go on. Sasuke knew Tsunade was doing this to be a bitch - amongst other things – he couldn't complain and she knew it. Had he a bigger heart he would have felt sorry for the Hyuuga as well since it was obvious that she was punishing him for some ungodly reason. Something about him not being directly involved but it had pissed her off anyway was all the Uchiha had gotten from him in terms of an explanation.

Tsunade wasn't giving the two any breaks, they were constantly off on missions – mostly wild goose chases and the like on any and all Red Death clues no matter how ridiculous – and due to his awful sleeping habits he was, well, not sleeping at all. Hinata would try to come visit him and when she did he forced himself to shake off his lethargy for a few moments with her before having to take off for another mission. By the end of the month he had made a decision.

"Here." He had her hold out her hand and put a keychain in her hand "It's the spare key to the apartment. Just come over whenever you want, it doesn't matter whether or not I'm here."

She had blushed her cute little blush and shortly thereafter he had to leave for another mission.

Although he was sure Neji was getting more sleep than him the other male seemed to be more irritable. Then again, the Hyuuga actually slept with his fiancé so more than likely that had been put to a solid halt due to their missions. Sasuke couldn't relate and didn't want to, he was already an angry and irritable person as it was, he didn't need to add another reason to that. Not that he wasn't having his own problems in the intimacy department, the closer he became to Hinata the more he wanted to be intimate with her. It didn't help that she obviously wanted him as much as he wanted her, it did not help at all.

The second month of Tsunade The Slave Driver's missions Hinata started making him dinners. Whenever he came back there would always be some dish or another for him to heat up and eat. It felt…nice to be fussed over like that. Prior to that she had made a few comments about his lack of eating and sleeping and he had brushed it off, making her take matters into her own hands. Surprisingly enough, the Hyuuga Clan had yet to approach their heir about her 'relationship' with him even though they were more than aware of the situation. Hinata was over so often her natural scent now filled his apartment, relaxing him whenever he came back and she wasn't actually there.

Neji had calmed down for a week or two during that second month and during that time he had made a few comments on the Uchiha's pallor and the dark circles around his eyes. He told the Hyuuga to mind his own damned business. The last thing he needed Neji doing was to tell Hinata that he hadn't had a collective hour of sleep for the past two months.

He just couldn't sleep and the longer he didn't sleep the heavier the nightmares became when his eyes finally did drift down from time to time. If he was lucky he could get through with forty-five minutes before waking up shouting. Hinata was definitely worried about him but there was no 'cure' for his problem; he was a horrible insomniac and as long as Tsunade didn't give him or Neji a break it was going to stay that way.

The middle of the third month was when he started becoming slightly unstable. Unless one was a freak like Gaara, the human body _needed_ sleep and the less it went without sleep the more disoriented and frustrated that person became. He was still able to perform his missions but he kept forgetting simple things and getting pissed off over nothing. He had even snapped at Hinata a few times and instead of getting angry she became even more worried. She seemed to have this ability to see through his words to find the true meaning and reacted accordingly.

He really wanted to spend some actual time with his 'girlfriend'. Prior to their relationship he had little in his life to look forward to and even fewer things he had wanted. Prior to her there had been his spars with Naruto and that was it. He had read books, gone on missions, acted like an absolute asshole to anyone and everyone because he was miserable so everyone else was going to get a taste, and that was it. For the first time he wanted a woman to impose on him, he wanted her to constantly be around because when she was gone it felt…cold. Empty. Knowing that there was someone who cared for him waiting for his return was something he was still struggling to accept as truth. Sasuke felt himself changing and he didn't really mind it so much anymore.

It was the middle of the third month that his vision began to become spotty and he started hallucinating. His body was becoming sluggish and he had even messed up a few times on some of their missions. Neji never complained, perhaps he suspected the truth. It hit him all at once when they had finished giving Tsunade the report from the week long mission they had been on. After that he vaguely remembered opening the door to his apartment and then nothing.

xxxxx

It was a little late in the evening but she hadn't been able to get away from the compound any earlier and she knew that Sasuke would be returning from his mission today. Maybe, although she doubted it, he would finally be in his bed asleep when she arrived instead of forcing himself to stay awake to see her. Every time she tried to get him to get some rest he refused, telling her that he'd rest later. Of course, it was a big fat lie and both of them knew it but pushing him was counterproductive and at times a little frightening.

Every meal she made for him he had eaten, to her relief. She didn't even mind the dishes being in the sink the next day, as long as he was eating it was fine. Hinata was so worried for him; Neji looked tired as well but Sasuke looked as if he were about to collapse at any given moment. His face had become very pale and the dark circles under his eyes were not fading. After a while Hinata began to get a little upset; why was Tsunade going out of her way to make them suffer? Was it really because she disliked Sasuke and was angry with Neji over something that hadn't even been his fault? It seemed that there was more to it than that.

Her bag of groceries she had picked up earlier in the day on her arm she pulls out the keychain he had given her over a month ago. She had to admit that she had felt really happy that he wanted her to practically consider his apartment 'theirs'. She had even brought a few things for the place and had felt happy when he would notice it and smirk briefly.

Their relationship was…normal. Hinata had thought going into it that it would be insane and trying but they really didn't do anything out of the ordinary. They were both quiet people and while he was affectionate he also didn't allow things to go too far intimately, claiming that he wasn't going to sleep with a woman he wasn't going to be staying with permanently. It was a reminder that she had a decision to make in the next nine months but it also showed her, once again, how dead serious he was about being with her.

The door was unlocked, making her wonder if Sasuke was already back. It was late in the evening, so it would make sense. When she walked inside all of the lights were off and it was very quiet. From the distance she could see that his bedroom door was open, confusing her. So he wasn't home? Putting the bag of groceries on the counter she walked around the couch and let out a loud yelp, jumping back.

He had collapsed right at the threshold of his room, still in his uniform. He didn't even stir and Sasuke was a pretty light sleeper most of the time. Kneeling down she tried to wake him and see if she could get him to his bed. It actually took her a full minute before his eyes fluttered open and he looked…

"Hinata?" he sounded very confused as he slowly sat up with her assistance and when he looked down at her she realized that he was not all there. His eyes were unfocused and he seemed completely out of it. "Hinata?" he repeated and when she put a hand on his shoulder he focused on her briefly before smiling. "Hey."

"Hello." She says softly, her smile lopsided. He looked so completely and utterly _exhausted_ and she wondered if he had finally reached his limit. Neji had told her that he didn't sleep at all during their missions and she knew he wasn't sleeping at his apartment. Three months without any real sleep? She was surprised he hadn't already lost his mind. "Sasuke, can you stand? We need to get you to bed."

Those words were something he obviously did not want to hear. He jerked away from her, moving away "No." he said firmly "No, I can't sleep, I can't." he put his hands through his hair in frustration "I keep seeing them. Every time I close my eyes they're there."

Her hand brushed against his cheek and he looked at her warily but didn't move away again. He looked and sounded delirious. "Okay," she tried again "Well, l-let's get you standing, okay?" he nodded mutely at her and she managed to get him on his feet although he was swaying slightly.

When his dark gaze moved back to her he frowned in confusion "Hinata?" he asked again "Why are you here?" he began to look around "Where am I?"

_Oh…oh Sasuke…_ Blinking back tears she put her hands on his shoulders to keep him steady. He was done, he was completely and totally out of it and he needed sleep.

"This is your apartment." She told him softly and the frown on his face showed that he wasn't sure if he should believe her or not "You're in very bad shape, Sasuke a-and maybe y-you should get some rest…"

"No!" he exclaimed and she suddenly found herself slammed against his door frame, his head buried in the crook of her neck "I can't sleep. I can't." He told her again. He was quiet for a moment "Hinata, I can't remember what my family looks like anymore." slowly his arms wrapped around her "You know what I see when I remember my family?" not waiting for her to answer he continued "Corpses. I can't remember my mother's smile or my father's stern expressions, I can't even remember Itachi's face, I just see. Their. Dead. Bodies." He is slightly shaking and she can feel the warmth of his tears along her neck "Aunts, uncles, cousins, I can't remember what _any_ of them look like anymore. I close my eyes and there are bodies, nothing but blood and corpses."

She was crying at this point, her arms around him, a hand on his head, her face buried in his shoulder. Hinata didn't care what she had to do, she was going to go to Tsunade and make this _stop_. This went beyond trying to get back at someone, he was seriously beginning to lose it. He couldn't keep doing this and she couldn't stand to see him like this.

"S-Sasuke…"

Pulling back, he looked at her for a moment, once again in confusion. Then his hands moved to her face "Hinata," it was a whisper and his gaze was intense "Hinata, help me forget." He kissed her then, hard and demanding, his hands moving roughly over her body "Help me forget, Hinata." It was almost a plea, his mouth moving along her jaw and neck, his hands sliding up her body. Pressing himself against her he went in for another deep kiss, his hand sliding underneath her shirt. "I don't want to see them anymore." He whispered along her neck and she gasped and made a small noise when he bit her lightly. He groaned in response "Gods, you don't know what you do to me, _Hime_. I need you, you're the only one…"

Somehow, she had to get him to calm down enough so she could convince him to go to bed. She was beginning to think that it was going to be extremely difficult and she didn't want to actually fight or hurt him.

Fighting down her blush as he continued to kiss and feel her up she tried to get his attention again "Sasuke," she said softly "Sasuke, you –"

"I said I wouldn't do this until you gave me an answer," she felt his hand lightly squeeze her breast "but you have no idea how fucking hard it's been to keep away from you these past few months." His other hand began to slide up her shirt "You're everywhere, my thoughts, dreams, hell, my apartment is even starting to smell like you. I have a constant fucking hard-on and _nothing_ is helping because you look at me with those eyes and you touch me and I just want to fuck you so. Bad." He kissed her again, harder this time, tongue delving in passionately. He shrugs off his vest without breaking their kiss, uncaring what happened to it. His hand grabbed her wrist and she nearly fainted when he pulled her hand against the very hard bulge in his pants. "This is what you do to me, _Hime_." He whispered in her ear, letting go of her wrist, his hips rocking slowly against her as he kissed her again. A hand moves through her hair and she can't help the way her body arches against him, earning her a soft moan.

She forces herself to focus, he needed rest…not this. Gently, she tries to pull him into the bedroom and he follows her, slightly dazed until his gaze rests on the bed. Then he stiffens and there's a look of alarm and even fear in his eyes.

"I can't go to sleep." He looks at her as if trying to get her to understand "Hinata,"

"D-didn't you say once that when I'm here you don't have any nightmares?" she asked, remembering that night when he had held her and had actually slept soundly that night.

Confusion crossed his handsome features before he nods "Yeah, I don't dream or anything when you're here…but you're not here so I can't go to sleep." Lightly he tugs her away from the bed "_Hime_, come here." His voice is light but she knows that if she closes the distance between them he's going to try and finish what he had started against his door frame.

"Sasuke," she smiled shakily at him and continued to tug lightly on his hand "I'm here Sasuke." Hinata tries to reassure him and his gaze seems to be somewhat focused on her "I'm here so you can go to sleep."

Uncertainty moves over him and his body tenses "You won't leave?"

He sounds so much like a frightened child that she finds herself once again fighting back tears "No, I promise I won't leave."

Taking a few steps forward he sighs "I'm really tired." He admits "I can only sleep when you're here, _Hime_."

Finally she has him in range of the bed. He puts his arms around her again and his lips nuzzle her neck "I think I love you."

Her heart stopped. "W…what?"

"I don't really know what that's supposed to mean, loving someone." he continues, sounding very groggy "Or maybe I'm obsessed with you. You're the only thing I can think about, the only thing I give a fuck about right now."

Face burning, she was now on the bed trying to pull him along, moving along on her knees. He follows until he's on the bed far enough to actually sit. Once he sits and realizes he's on a bed he tenses and she has to wrap her arms around him to keep him from bolting.

"I'm here Sasuke!" she reminds him "I'm not going anywhere, so please…_please_ try and sleep."

His gaze is uneasy and he looks wary once more "You promise?"

Nodding, she pulls him down so that he's lying facing her. Her hand begins to move through his hair and he looks…content.

"Go to sleep Sasuke." She says softly, kissing him on the forehead.

"Mm. Alright." He murmurs and the moment he closes his eyes he's dead to the world.

xxxxx

When she opened her eyes that morning he was still sleeping heavily, one arm around her waist. Hinata gazed at him, taking in his relaxed expression, the slight parting of his lips. Pulling some of his bangs behind his ear he doesn't even twitch. She feels a mixture of relieved, sad, and something else that she wasn't quite sure of yet.

He didn't snore, he didn't move, it was as if he were dead. Where it not for the fact that his chest was moving and his body was so warm she would have wondered.

_He was so exhausted._ She thought sadly _He needs a break, he can't keep doing this._

But he had another mission today; the messenger hawk had delivered the message. He had to report to the Hokage at seven tonight. Getting up, she set his alarm for five to give him enough time to get ready. She had tried to start making a lunch for him but Sasuke had started shouting and she realized that he had been quite literal when he said her presence kept his nightmares at bay. When his arms were around her again he immediately settled down and she bit back another sob at his obvious pain and suffering.

"_I think I love you. Or maybe I'm obsessed._"

Hinata had a feeling she knew which one it was and she couldn't help but put her arms around him and pull him close. Sakura had told her that she was Sasuke's anchor and she hadn't really understood it until last night. Whenever Hyuuga Hinata was in his presence Uchiha Sasuke was at peace. He could relax and be comfortable and that was definitely not obsession.

So she lay with him the entire day, lost in her thoughts as she brushed her hand along his face or hair. There had been a few times when she had brushed her fingers along his lips that he had smiled slightly and he had looked so cute and handsome at the same time.

The alarm went off at five and his eyes jerked open finally. Frowning, he sat up and turned off his alarm clock before looking around. His focused gaze shifted to her.

"How did I get here?" he asked her, clearly confused.

Looking up at him shyly she bit her lip "You don't remember anything from last night?" she asked. His continued look of confusion answered her question.

"I remember leaving the tower," he said, thinking "I _think_ I made it to my apartment and then nothing. It's all a blank." His expression was impassive "Did something happen?"

_Oh, only the fact that you had been extremely fatigued and delirious. _"I was able to help you get to bed," she admitted "When I came in last night you had passed out right at your bedroom door."

Sasuke yawned rather loudly and he blinked a few times, a little groggy. "Thanks." Another yawn "Sorry you had to drag me around."

Shaking her head, she smiles up at him warmly "I didn't mind." She says and she realizes that she meant it. Being there for him last night when he had truly needed someone had been a good feeling, even if he had embarrassed the hell out of her at points. "H-how are you feeling?"

He put a hand through his hair "My head hurts like hell and I really just want to go back to sleep but I think I have a mission today, I remember Slave Driver mentioning something about it."

Giggling at Sasuke's nickname for the Hokage she nodded "You're to report at the tower at seven tonight."

There was a small frown "What time is it now?"

"Um…it's five pm."

His gaze whipped to her in alarm "I've been asleep the _entire day_?" he asks her, clearly surprised. When she nods he looks around the room as if he were thinking of something. Then he looked back at her "You…stayed with me this entire time?"

Her stomach fluttered and her heart skipped a beat at the awe in his voice. He gave her a strange look, as if he wasn't sure if he should feel guilty or pleased that she had done something like that for him.

"W-well, you've said that when I'm a-around you can sleep." Face a bright red she looks down "And you needed to sleep Sasuke. You were so…you were completely out of it."

For a long time he stares at her with a blank expression. Raising his hand he brushes his knuckles along her cheek "Thank you Hinata." He says sincerely and her heart skips another beat. "Aren't you going to get in trouble at the compound?"

More than likely. "This was more important to me."

His knuckles turned into his hand cupping her cheek and he kissed her. It wasn't one of his demanding or passionate kisses, it was just…

"_I think I love you."_

Pulling away he got up and stretched, heading to his bathroom. While he took a shower she tried to do as much as she could in the ways of a lunch for him. When he came out fully dressed in a fresh uniform, hair still damp, she pushed the box of food at him.

"Please eat a little before you leave." She pleads "You'll need the energy."

Taking the box, he looks at her blankly before sitting down. Not much is said afterwards, he eats and then he gets up to leave. Hesitant, she calls his name softly and he turns to her as he's heading for the door.

"You…really don't remember anything from last night?" it is asked slowly and nervously, her face flushing. At first he seems to look as if he is going to repeat his earlier answer, then he looks at her and scowls.

"What did I do?" he looks more angry than concerned and she turns her head away, unable to answer. Mistaking her silence, he walks up to her and lightly grabs her arm. "Tell me. Did I hurt you or anything like that?"

She shakes her head. "Y-you just…said some funny things, t-that's all."

He knows that she's not telling him everything but he can't really interrogate her. As long as he hadn't harmed her it would have to do for now.

"I'll be back in two days." He tells her and leaves.

xxxxx

When Hinata returns to the compound it is dark. She was not surprised when a messenger informed her that she was to see her father immediately. She had disappeared for a night and an entire day leaving no word of her whereabouts.

Steeling herself, she enters her father's study and bows respectfully to him.

"Father, you wished to see me?"

Hyuuga Hiashi's gaze is curiously blank as he looks at his eldest daughter. He motions for her to sit.

"I know you've been wondering whether or not we knew about your situation with the Uchiha," he began, his eyes narrowing slightly. She stiffens slightly but nods. "We have known about it from the beginning."

Her eyes snap up to him in obvious surprise. His expression is blank, she cannot read anything, but she doesn't sense that he's angry. Instead of responding she merely nods again to show that she understands his words.

"Do you not wish to know how we have come about that information? Or did he already inform you?"

Forcing herself to look at her father instead of looking away like she always had in the past, she tries to keep her own expression neutral "I had concluded that since Uchiha-san had informed me that he had made a deal with Hokage-sama that naturally the clan would become involved." She answered softly but steady "He has not informed me of his plans and I do not believe he wishes to do so, more than likely he does not wish for it to affect my decision."

There was a twitch of a smile. Hiashi and Hinata were not on uncomfortable terms with each other. He has long since claimed that he was proud of her progression and ever since she made jounin he has been, for the most part, keeping out of her life. She is confused as to why her father decided to remain silent until now but if he wished for her to know he will bring it about soon enough.

Hiashi seems surprised that Sasuke hadn't told her what he was planning to do. After a moment the tension in the air lifts; apparently whatever his opinion on Sasuke was, it was not hostile.

"Answer me truthfully, daughter, is this an attempt at a marriage of convenience?"

She shakes her head slightly "No, I do not believe so. In fact, up until recently Uchiha-san had been trying to push me away; he did not desire a relationship with me."

This also seems to surprise him and she watches as her father quietly contemplates this bit of information. "What changed?"

Hinata told him about the mission where she had died briefly and how he had brought her back to life. She told him of how he had been very quiet and distant until the last few days where he confessed that he would be willing to marry her.

"Uchiha-san has told me that he wishes to fulfill his brother's wishes to live a peaceful and happy life," she concluded "and he believes that this will not be possible unless I am a part of that."

It felt strange talking about her relationship so formally, especially to her father. He does not seem angry or happy, merely thoughtful. He nods.

"We have not interfered with your visits to Uchiha's apartment because, due to the deal he has made with the Hokage, we cannot." At this he smirked briefly "He has ensured that the two of you will be able to work things out to a conclusion without any outside interference." The smirk disappeared "However, while I am not personally adverse to you visiting him, I hope that in spending the night and the entire day there you did not compromise yourself."

The Hyuuga heir didn't even blush "No, father. Uchiha-san has been on consecutive missions for the past three months and, from what Neji-niisan has been telling me, he does not sleep. When I come to visit him, he also refuses to sleep. Last night he had collapsed on the floor of his apartment from fatigue. When I was able to awaken him he had been delirious and unfocused. I helped him to bed and he insisted that I stay but nothing happened."

"Hm. Neji is his partner and I have seen your cousin recently, he did not look well." Another frown "I shall approach the Hokage about this tomorrow, mostly on Neji's behalf. As for your situation, I will say this: I am not pleased with the fact that Uchiha Sasuke has taken an interest in you, nor does it bring me joy to know that you hold feelings for him. However, he has more than proven to me that he is very serious about you becoming his wife. As long as he is able to protect and provide for you and your future family I will have no further objections. The council, however, does not desire this union. They cannot force you to deny his proposal, I simply wish to make sure you are aware of the full situation within the clan. I cannot deny you seeing him, but if you decide to become intimate with him I suggest you simply accept and be done with it. I do not desire a scandal for the clan."

"Y-yes father." She bows "Uchiha-san has claimed, basically, that unless I accept his proposal he will not try to make those sorts of advancements on me. I will not bring shame to the clan but I…" she frowned slightly "he has been compromising his entire life for me, I couldn't leave him there. The amount of sleep he did get last night and today will not be nearly enough to help his fatigue and he was very delirious, he did not even know where he was or how he had arrived."

"I understand, you do not need to explain anymore." There was a small silence "I will trust you on this, Hinata. We cannot interfere and as long as you bring no shame to the clan it will continue to stay that way. You are an adult, there will be no more conversations concerning your whereabouts as long as you continue to do the right thing."

She couldn't believe her ears. Her father was saying, basically, that she was free to spend as much time with Sasuke as she wished, just as long as she didn't have sex with him or something else equally shameful. Bowing respectfully she stood when he dismissed her and she couldn't help the happiness she felt in her heart, knowing that her toughest obstacle wasn't one at all.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

xxxxx

Biting her lip, she looks at the door to her 'boyfriends' apartment, bags in hand. It had taken her a few months to get everything together and now that she had she wasn't sure if she wanted to go through with it. Of course, she could just walk in but she's still deliberating on whether or not she wants to go in or bolt and just hide these bags somewhere and forget –

Suddenly the door wrenches open and dark eyes lower to her face. It is early morning so he is leaning against the doorframe with pajama pants and nothing else. Hinata tries to keep her face from turning bright red; Sasuke wasn't just handsome, he had a _very_ nice body as well, scarred chest and all.

"Enjoying the view?" his voice comes in, amused. With a small squeak her gaze snaps up to his face and he is indeed smirking. When she begins to splutter he lightly shakes his head, brows furrowing in confusion "Why are you standing outside my door anyway? Did you lose your key?"

Mutely she shakes her head, looking down at her feet. Tilting his head he notices the two large gift bags in her hands "What's that?"

"T-this?" she asks, putting the bags behind her "N-nothing."

There's a moment of silence where he merely stares at her as if she's borderline insane – ironic considering – before walking away, allowing her to enter. Thankful that he didn't question her she looks at him as he's walking towards his bedroom. His gait is smooth and relaxed and he looks much better than he had three months ago thanks to her father putting in a few complaints concerning the massive amount of missions Neji had been going on. She still wasn't sure why Tsunade had been doing that in the first place, it seemed so strange to overwork them like that just because one was upset. She didn't seem to be that sort of person.

By the time she entered his living room she could hear the shower running. Placing the bags near his little dining room table she wrung her hands nervously. What if he hated them? What if he found her gifts insulting? He wouldn't think she was trying to mock him or anything, would he?

Sighing, she ventured into his bedroom briefly and began to straighten his bed. She had no idea why she cleaned up behind him, she really didn't need to and he really wasn't a sloppy person. Finished, she turned and spotted his towel sitting on the dresser. He must have forgotten it. Hesitating, she picked up the cloth and looked at the bathroom door. The actual shower stall couldn't be seen upon first entering; you had to round a small corner. She could put his towel on the counter quietly, no embarrassing 'holy crap I walked in on you naked' scenarios. Taking a breath she quietly pushed the door open, it had not been fully closed to begin with, and walked in.

He was definitely still in the shower to her relief, so she hurried, placing the towel where he could reach it and moving to leave. Before she turned, however, she thought she might have heard him struggling to breathe. Pausing, she listened and picked up on the fact that he was breathing rather raggedly and worry moved through her. Did something happen? She hesitated, unsure if she should move forward or not; he was naked after all. After a moment she decided she would just have to suck it up because if he was injured the last thing she'd need to worry about would be his nudity. So she took a step forward.

It was light but easily heard, her boyfriend had just let out a light moan.

Heat moved through her entire body as she realized what he was actually doing and she tried to will her body to get the hell out but her legs stayed glued like the treacherous appendages they were. She heard a few catches in his breath and she almost passed out from sheer embarrassment. She needed to leave, she couldn't just _stand_ there like an idiot and…

"_Hinata…"_ she heard him breathe out softly and that was the moment her feet became unglued and she ran out of the bathroom like a bat out of hell. Sitting on the edge of his bed she put her heated face in her hands and bent over, trying to forget what she had just heard. It wasn't like she didn't do such things from time to time but…and his voice as he had said her name had been…

"You alright?" his voice was low as she heard him walk out of the bathroom, shower finished. She looked up at him and almost fell over. There was a towel around his neck and a towel around his waist. That was it.

_He couldn't have gotten dressed in the bathroom?_ She mentally squeaked, brain overloading.

Taking a few steps toward her she looked down at her lap. She should just leave, go out into the dining room area and try to will her probably permanent blush away. Why had she stayed in his room anyway? She should have left so he could get dressed in peace.

"Hinata."

She looked up and then suddenly found herself lying on her back, her 'boyfriend' hovering over her, his gaze blank. He pinned her hands above her head, leaned forward until their lips were only inches apart.

"Like what you heard?" he asks her, his voice dark, silky. White eyes flew to smoky grey, amusement actually shining in those bottomless depths.

"Y-you…you…" she spluttered, her attempts to calm down her blushing destroyed "K-knew I was…was there?"

"Yeah, I knew you were there the moment you entered." He sounded thoroughly amused by her discomfort, ignoring her squeak when his practically naked body pressed against her. "I wanted you to hear."

Brain completely shot to all nine levels of hell, she just stares dumbly at him and he tilts his head, brushing his lips against her ear. "I want you." He confessed, his lips trailing along her jaw and neck "I want you to _know_ that I want you." He murmurs "I want you to know what you do to me, _Hime._"

Her breath catches as she feels his teeth lightly graze along the skin on her neck "You drive me crazy sometimes." He continues "I gotta do something to take the edge off."

She was not having this conversation with him she was not having this conversation with him she was not having this conversation with him…

Chuckling, he kissed her briefly and stood up, walking over to his dresser to grab clothes "I'll try not to damage your innocence any further today." He joked, turning to her while he began to put a shirt on "So you might want to get out so I can finish getting dressed."

He didn't have to tell her twice.

When he emerged, still grinning, she was sitting at the table with her head buried in her arms. She could practically hear him rolling his eyes.

"It's not like you actually _saw_ anything," he tells her, sounding slightly exasperated "I could have been faking it just to mess with you."

Slowly, she lifted her head, face still red by the way, "B-but…" she stammered out "y-you w-weren't."

Walking over he kneels down so that they're face to face. He grins "No, I wasn't." he let out a sigh when she buried her head once again. She hears him sit on the chair opposite of her. "Are you going to tell me what's in these bags now?" he asked, trying to give her a way out of their awkward conversation. Well, awkward for her anyway, he seemed perfectly fine about it all.

Taking his out she bent to the side and picked up the bags, hugging them to her chest. "I…I don't know if y-you'll…"

He gave her a bland look "Is it food?" she shook her head "Will it explode in my face?" this earned him a giggle and the shake of her head "You know, my birthday was in July and it's not yet the end of the year so…"

Her eyes widened at this news "You never told me your birthday had passed!" she sounded hurt.

Sasuke shrugged "It's not something I've cared about over the years."My birthday is July twenty-third, for future reference." When she gave him a slightly pouty look he actually found himself smiling rather warmly at her. It lasted for a moment before he blinked, confused with his reaction. "Anyway," he looked slightly uncomfortable "You never told me your birthday either."

"Oh." That was true "It's December twenty-eighth." She informed him and he nodded briefly.

"Now, are you going to stop stalling and tell me what's in the bags or am I just going to have to pull them out myself?" he smirked "And I wouldn't mind trying to pry them from your body, by the way."

Standing up abruptly, she put the bags on the table, face still red. A month ago he had started this line of teasing, going out of his way to embarrass her or make her blush. It wasn't that she hated it…it was just…well she was shy.

Slowly, she pulled out a small slender box that had been sitting on top of one of the bags. Nervously, she handed it to him, unable to meet his gaze. Hinata felt his gaze on her as he took the box and then when he opened it everything went still.

"I…" she tried to explain hastily "I d-didn't think I'd be able t-to get it but a f-friend told me of s-someone a-and so…I know it might not look v-very good but…I thought t-that since you c-can't wear your clan symbol while out on ANBU missions that…"

"You had this made for me?" he sounds only slightly surprised as he pulls out a chain that holds his clan's symbol as its pendant. It is not very large, half an inch across and vertical and his expression is blank as he looks at it. Flipping the pendant over he saw his initials engraved on the back.

"I-I'm sorry i-if it's not…"

"Hinata," he looked at her "Shut up." Without another word he slipped the chain around his neck, tucking the pendant underneath his shirt. Reaching out his hand she slid out a thick white clothing box. Curious, he opened the box and pulled out six shirts, three short sleeved and three long sleeved. Each one had the Uchiha symbol emblazoned on the back with the exception of the long sleeved ones which also had two smaller symbols on the cuffs. There was a mixture of black and blue in color and looked somewhat similar to what he had worn before leaving the village.

"I k-know that all you h-have are those standard issue clothes s-so I thought…"

Shrugging off his shirt he grabbed one of the long sleeved black ones and slid it on. It was a perfect fit. "Anything else?"

Still nervous as he has yet to say whether or not he likes any of the gifts she got for him, she slides out a slender clothing box. Inside was a dark blue yukata with his clan's symbol on the back where a family crest would normally be.

"You said you didn't have a yukata so…" she blushed at this, looking down "I-I thought maybe…this spring, f-for the festival…"

"Why did you do this?" he sounded genuinely confused and she looked up at him, a small frown on her face. He wasn't revealing anything so she couldn't tell if he was angry or not.

"I…" she sighed "You've done…so much for me. You've compromised yourself so much and I – I wanted to th-thank you. A-and show my a-appreciation for w-what you're doing."

Sasuke's gaze moved from her to the yukata he was holding. He frowned but it looked thoughtful. Slowly, he packed away her gifts and put them in their bags, taking them into his bedroom. A happy feeling washed over her as she looked at his back, his clan symbol large and proud for anyone and everyone to see. She tried to tell herself that if he didn't like the shirt he wouldn't have worn it and she smiles. She had been so worried that he'd take it the wrong way or not like them at all.

When he came out of his bedroom he looked pensive, surprising her. His gaze kept shifting back from her to off to the side, as if deliberating on something but unsure.

"Sasuke?" she takes a step forward, worry still etched on her face.

"I…have something for you." He says it low, putting a hand through his hair "I was going to give it to you later but –"

As usual, whenever something important was happening or whenever privacy was needed Uzumaki Naruto never failed to interrupt at the most inopportune moments. Grinning, he burst through Sasuke's door, Sakura behind him looking highly embarrassed and apologetic.

"Hey you two!" the blonde greeted, waving a bit "How are ya this fine morning?"

"Naruto," Sasuke glared at him "tell me why, _in your own words_, knocking before entering my apartment is a concept you fail to grasp."

"I'm so sorry Sasuke-kun," Sakura gave him an apologetic look as she slammed a fist down on her fiancé's cranium "we hope we haven't interrupted anything."

The Uchiha crossed his arms "Actually –"

"Um, n-no, it's fine, really." Hinata interrupted, ignoring the icy glare shot in her direction. She'd apologize later "Is something the matter?"

Rubbing his head, Naruto staggered to his feet, looking a little pouty "Sakura-chan…" he whined. "That hurt…"

"Shut up, Naruto." She hissed at him "It's your own fault for barging into Sasuke-kun and Hinata-chan's apartment."

Hinata turned an interesting shade of red at the mention of it being 'their' apartment and not 'Sasuke's' apartment. Sasuke didn't bother to correct her.

"Why are you here?" came the blunt question from her boyfriend who was quite obviously annoyed. "This better not be stupid Naruto, I'm serious."

"Naw, nothing like that!" the future Hokage said with a grin "Sakura and me are having a little lunch at…" he paused for dramatic effect "our new _house_. We wanted to know if you'd stop by."

The Hyuuga's eyes lit up "You were able to get the house?" she flashes the couple a bright smile "I'm so happy for you. I know there were a lot of bids on it…"

Sakura blushed, leaning against her fiancé "We were really lucky," she explained "But it's ours." A small breath and then a smile "We don't have much there but we'd really love it if the two of you could come."

Pale eyes slid over to the dark male and he turned his gaze to Sakura "What time?"

The couple beamed at him and Naruto answered "One-ish or whatever. We invited everybody but some folks are on missions and stuff."

"Yeah, whatever." Sasuke began to walk towards his kitchen "We'll be there."

Stepping a little further in, Naruto blinked at Sasuke's attire "Hey, you got some of your old clothes back or something?"

"Oh," Sakura observed as well, smiling slightly "I didn't think you had any more of those."

"I didn't." he said blandly, reaching into his refrigerator for a bottle of water "Hinata had it made for me."

Two sets of eyes landed on the Hyuuga heir and she blushed, taking a step back "W-well I just…"

"Man, Hinata-chan, you're awesome!" Naruto exclaimed "Like, you don't know how badly this bastard over here's been wanting clan clothes but he's been saving up for a –"

"Shut up, loser." Standing up straight the brunette shot him a glare "You talk too much."

The blonde pouted and Sakura took this as their cue to probably leave and began to drag her fiancé out "Sorry about dropping by unannounced…again. We'll see you there!"

Silence filled the apartment and Hinata looked over at Sasuke who was taking a drink of water. "Um," she shifted nervously "I'm um, sorry f-for…"

"What did I tell you about apologizing?" he asked her, frowning "If I didn't want to go I wouldn't be going."

"Well…I know but…"

Sighing, he leaned against the counter "Hinata." He spoke to her as if she were a small child "You want to go, so we're going." He took another swig "There's just someplace I want to go before that though."

Blinking, she tilted her head in inquiry "Oh, um…where?"

xxxxx

There was a lake in Konoha where tourists and residents went during the summer months to play in and cool off. This lake also had a waterfall with a beautiful field leading to another set of forests. Hinata didn't come here often, especially during the summer months when not only girls would come out to play in the water but guys would come out to spy on them as well. There was a reason she hid her figure, she didn't want anyone staring.

They stood at the edge of the cliff face, Sasuke had one arm around her chest and his head buried in the crook of her neck. She stood there peacefully, her back pressed against her 'boyfriends' chest, breathing in the crisp air.

"Did you know we met here when we were five?" came the sudden question and she turned slightly in his arm while he raised his head to meet her gaze. She looked surprised.

"W-we did?"

"Yeah. I had forgotten about it because it had happened so long ago and it had been a random encounter but we first met each other here. I guess you had been playing around and broke the strap to one of your sandals. You were crying your head off, saying that your father was going to be extremely angry with you."

She found the memory coming back to her "Oh, that had been you that day?" she smiled at him and he nodded once. She frowned "You yelled at me."

"Yeah well," he rolled his eyes slightly "girls crying were annoying to me back then. It still is." He muttered underneath his breath "Besides, I fixed the damn strap didn't I?"

"You called me stupid for breaking it in the first place!" she looked quite pouty.

"But I _fixed_ it, didn't I?" he repeated, grinning slightly "Stop focusing on details." There was a small huff from her "Anyway, do you remember what happened afterwards?"

Turning around she put a finger to her lips, thinking "Um, I remember thanking you and then you ran away."

A small snort "I ran away because you kissed my cheek and I freaked out." He told her and she gasped, her face turning a bright red.

"I-I did?"

"Yeah." An arm went around her waist, pulling her against him "I had forgotten all about it until a month ago." Then there it was, hesitation. He looked very unsure of himself and almost panicky.

Lifting a hand, she placed her palm lightly against his cheek, a worried expression on her face "Sasuke?"

He looked at her, his dark eyes very serious. It felt to her as if he was looking for something in her gaze and she had no idea what.

Growing more worried, she brushed her fingers along his cheek soothingly "Sasuke…are you…"

Warm lips closed over hers as he kissed her, firmly but not passionately. She tried to put her arms around his neck but he held onto one of them until she felt something slide over her finger. He abruptly broke the kiss then, his free hand holding the back of her head so that their foreheads were touching.

"Listen," he said hurriedly "I know you could very well still tell me 'No' six months from now." He murmured against her lips "I don't know what I'll do if you do but just…it doesn't have to mean anything, hell, put it on another finger if you want." His breath was slightly shaky "I wasn't going to give you this until…" another sigh "Just take it, it's yours. There's still a lot of shit I'm confused about, and I still hate this fucking place but…I know how…" he hesitated, frustrated with his inability to convey himself in words properly "At first I asked you to marry me because I had panicked and I didn't understand anything besides that I had to have you with me. It's not like that now…there's…there's more. That's all I'm saying."

She couldn't help the tears that came at his, basically, confession of love. She wondered what he would say if she told him that she had fallen in love with him that night when he had collapsed from exhaustion. Even though he didn't remember, he had been…so open and he had _needed_ her and only her. Watching him that entire day, experiencing his pain on a personal level, she knew she had fallen for him.

Pulling away, he turned his back to her, his body tense. Hand shaking, she raised it to look at the ring he had brought for her. It was very simple, a heart shaped diamond with two smaller ones to the side on a yellow gold band. She smiled; he hadn't tried to get the most expensive ring or the one with the huge diamonds. He knew that she was a simple sort of person and so had gotten her a beautiful, but simple, ring.

Hinata had no idea how to answer him and she knew that he was hoping for something, even if it was rejection. She took in a shaky breath and tried to say what came to mind.

"I'm keeping the ring where it is." She told him softly and smiled warmly, even if he couldn't see it. "Sasuke, thank you."

The tension slowly eased from his shoulders but he didn't turn to her. "We should head back." His voice was quiet, thoughtful "Naruto will whine if we're late."

Wiping the rest of her tears she walked over and took his hand, interlacing their fingers. When he felt that she had grabbed him with her ring hand he tugged her almost roughly but it had been too late, she'd seen the smile on his face.

xxxxx

He should have remained an unapproachable bastard who hated everyone and everything. Then he wouldn't have to deal with these _females_ surrounding him when it was painfully obvious that he wanted to be left the hell alone.

Where the hell was Hinata? He was going to get her back for abandoning him to the wolves. There were many things he thought would come out of people discovering that the Uchiha and Hyuuga were…'together', the fan girls thinking that it meant he was safe enough to be around now was not one of them.

Dark eyes scanned the crowd of people in Naruto and Sakura's new house, trying to find his traitorous girlfriend within. Ten minutes ago she had asked him if he could wait for her while she went off to do something girly. He had even sat in a far, dark corner and had slapped on his best 'leave me the fuck alone' face just to avoid this sort of thing.

His fingers were itching for his katana.

"Sasuke-kun," fangirl number thirty five – he was giving them random numbers by the way – flashed him a smile that he was sure many men –idiots – had fallen for before "you know, if she decides to be foolish and let you slip through her fingers _I'd_ be more than willing to –"

"_N_o_t_ interested." he said bluntly, eyes still scanning. He was never doing this shit again. Never again would he allow his woman to convince him to go to a party that _Sakura_ and Naruto were throwing. Sakura was friends with Ino, Ino was the biggest gossip in town and had practically invited the entire damn village on the pink haired woman's behalf.

_I'm sure if I killed just one of them it wouldn't get me into too much trouble._ He mused darkly when fan girl number sixty said something stupid to him that he had flat out ignored. _I could make it look like an accident. I mean, they can't figure out that she was killed by genjutsu if she's dead right? And even if they did, I could just say it was self defense or something."I was trying to defend my sanity from these crazy bitc –"_

There she was. Immediately he shot up from his chair, pushed past the throng of females, grabbed her arm and dragged her over to the other side of the room.

"What the hell happened to 'be back shortly'?" he demanded, highly irritated. "Do you know what you left me with?"

Hinata blinked at him with wide eyes and looked over to the crowd of girls that he had just practically ran from and put a hand over her mouth.

"You're laughing." He wanted to shake her. Hinata shook her head and he shot her a glare "Fine. I'm just going to say this, be prepared. Revenge is a dish best served cold and I'm _really_ good at getting revenge."

At this she paled although she had an amused smile on her lips "I didn't do it on purpose, Sasuke –"

"Why do I not believe you?"

"and besides," she continued "d-do you honestly think I would want girls hanging all over you?"

_Point._ "Whatever." He snapped, not having anything to counter with. "Just don't do it again, I'm serious Hinata. I _will_ kill someone." He was only half serious, a definite change from almost two years ago. Had any of them touched him, however, he more than likely would have become violent. He only wanted one woman touching him in any sort of way and that was the woman with his ring on her finger. He might be going soft, but that that really only towards Hinata, Naruto, and Sakura. Neji on a good day. Everyone else could go fuck themselves, he still hated them. Especially Tsunade.

"I'm really sorry." She said sincerely and he became annoyed with himself when his anger with her faded. "I promise I won't go anywhere again."

"Hn." Just because he knew the girls were watching he pulled her tightly against him and bent his head where they couldn't see his face "Stay over tonight." She gasped lightly "I got a mission tomorrow and I won't be back for a few days."

He lifted his head to face her and she was lightly blushing, her gaze shifting shyly away "Okay."

Sasuke didn't want to tell her he wanted her to stay because of everything that had happened today. He hadn't said anything but he had really liked what she had done for him, she had to have gone out of her way to get all of those custom items made. Then there was the ring incident. He had sounded like an idiot trying to tell her that he was, basically, in love with her. But she had kept the ring where it was and that had to mean something right? He honestly had no clue what the fuck he would do if she rejected him after everything. He really didn't. This was the first time he had _ever_ let someone get this close to him and the feelings from it were…he couldn't really describe them except that they were 'intense'.

He wanted some time alone with her, maybe show her what he couldn't tell her. She surprisingly had this ability to understand the fact that he sucked with words and so expressed himself through actions. There were a lot of things he wanted to say, a lot of things he wanted to tell her and only her, but could not.

The Uchiha kissed her then, very openly and passionately despite her horrified squeak. He smirked, she was such a prude sometimes. Sasuke had only done it for one reason and one reason only. He had wanted to convey, to _everyone,_ male or female, that this woman was _his_. Oh yeah, and he was quite satisfied with what he had, go the hell away.

Flushed, she clung to his shirt, horribly shy "S-Sasuke!" she whispered but he didn't let her go.

"I don't want girls hanging all over me when I have you." He deadpanned and she looked up at him "It pisses me off. That was their only warning; next idiot that tries something is going to get hurt." He was completely serious. The fan-girl thing was annoying when he had been a kid but it was intolerable now that he had someone.

They didn't stay too much longer after that and because of the sheer volume of people they really hadn't had much time with the hosts anyway. Because it was nearing winter it was already dark by early afternoon. They walked back to his apartment and curled up on his couch, watching some sort of horror movie that she had been wanting to see for a while. He'd been shocked that she even liked horror. He would have thought Romance, maybe Action. Horror? Not so much.

He had been lightly dozing against her – horror movies were boring to him – face buried in her neck, when she spoke up.

"Sasuke?" she said it so softly that he only heard it because she was pressed up close to him.

"Hn?" shifting slightly he looked down at her. Her face turned red.

"I um…just wanted to say that…" she wiggled so that her back was pressed more against him "Those feelings you have…I feel the same way. That's all."

"Hn." He responded but his arm tightened around her waist and he buried his face back into her neck, giving it a soft kiss.

He wasn't sure what he'd do if she said "No", but he definitely knew what he'd do if she said "Yes". He wouldn't say it in words, he'd express himself in much more interesting, pleasurable ways.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

xxxxx

There is a difference between lying and omitting information. For the most part, Hinata has tried very hard not to lie to anyone, including her boyfriend. To this extent, she has definitely succeeded, she has yet to lie to him and thankfully, he has yet to ask a question that would make her have to stretch the truth – because he's violent as hell and some answered questions would turn ugly.

In the beginning she had been aware of the fact that many would say mean things behind her back due to her relationship with the fallen avenger. She had also been told that many individuals that she had known would turn on her. Hinata doesn't tell him about these situations as her boyfriend tends to jump from calm to murderous in under a second.

For the past four months the Hyuuga heir has been actively harassed to the point of violence. For the most part she has been able to keep the bruises and other things from him and he has yet to ask her. She has been accosted by a few fan-girls, many of them saying extremely hurtful things to her, one once even slapped her.

The market place was where she had the most issues. There were several grocer's that began to refuse to sell her anything, making her have to go farther in the village and out of her way to purchase items for their meals. She has had rocks thrown at her and people shouting rather lewd insults to her person. For the most part she ignores them, she had known this was going to happen, she had been told that by the man himself. It doesn't make it _easy_, she merely tries very hard not to let it get to her.

She has not told him about how hurt she felt when certain vendors to whom she had held positive relationships with for years scorned her. She has not told him about the fan girls. She has not told him that she doesn't fight back because they are civilians and she doesn't want to give them even more negative things to say about him through her. She understands that because she is with him and that she's an easier target that people would strike at her in his place. It does hurt, she has cried quite a few times, but still she goes out every day and she purchases her items and goes to spend time with the man she loves.

On top of that, she began to acquire a few stalkers. A small gang of three, sometimes four, men would follow her all around the marketplace and other areas harassing her through words or physically. They never strike her but they always throw items, not all of them light. Still, she says nothing, she does not give them the satisfaction. She has not told her boyfriend because if she did, he would not react favorably. Uchiha Sasuke was kind to her; that was about it. Everyone else he held in the same contempt he always has.

These men did not always harass her at the same time. Sometimes they would come in their full group, sometimes it would only be one or two of them. Either way the more she ignores them the bolder they become, to a point where she might actually have to defend herself or be seriously injured.

"There's the Traitor's whore, walking through where she's not wanted and where she doesn't belong." This is the ring leader and the one who, no matter what, is always there to harass her. He is not very tall or very muscular but he is intimidating in presence and apparently, harassing her is the only real legal thing he participates in. His hair is dirty blonde and it looks dirty, as if it hasn't been washed in a very long time. He normally wears shades so she has no idea what his eyes look like but he holds rather interesting pelican-like features. He is following her and the crowds pretend not to notice the exchange, just as she tries to pretend he's not there. She knows that sooner or later he's going to become physically violent with her; it's only a matter of time.

"I find it strange that the rumors claim he cares so much about you yet he's never around to defend you." He continues and she ignores it. It is not the first time she has heard this. "Every day you come here and every day he does nothing for you. Well, I suppose you can't expect much from a traitor or did you conveniently forget that fact after you jumped into bed with him?"

There is no point in arguing that she comes out on her own and normally while he is about to go on a mission. There's also no point in telling him that she actually has not been intimate with him in that manner. There's no point so she remains silent.

He continues to follow and antagonize her. Unfortunately, today is the day where he is tired of using words and throwing objects. As she completes her shopping and is heading out to leave he actually slaps the bags out of her hands, causing her items to fall to the ground. Silently, she bends down to pick them up and put them back.

"You're pathetic." The man snaps at her "Maybe I should tell him that he should find a new whore, since you're so worthless." Out of the corner of her eye she sees him reaching to actually strike at her.

Silence fills the air as the man abruptly comes to a halt. Eyes snapping up she lets out a sharp cry and hurries to stand. Sasuke is standing with one hand on the man's arm, his expression emotionless. His eyes, however, were a bright red, cold and promising a painful death.

"Well?" he asks calmly, his grip tightening on the man's arm, causing him to cry out in pain "I'm here; tell me about this new whore you want me to get so badly."

"S-Sasuke…" Hinata moves forward in an attempt to perhaps placate him. He's not showing it but she can feel the killing intent pouring from him and he did in fact have his katana with him today.

"Why have you been letting them do this to you for months on end?" he inclines his head in her direction, tomoe spinning angrily "Do you enjoy pain?"

Her breath catches; he'd known all along? Guilt crosses her features; he had known yet said nothing all this time. He had probably been waiting for her to tell him herself and had finally decided that enough was enough.

"But t-they're civilians…" is her soft argument and his eyes narrow at her. The other male is, at this point, on his knees with tears streaming down his face although it doesn't even look as if the Uchiha is restraining the man with much force.

"Tch." He finally says in irritation "I'll deal with you later." With a quick jerk the man is on his feet, shades crooked to reveal beady black eyes wide with fear. "Well, now that I'm here, I want to hear all of these things you've wanted to say to me. I'm curious." The man begins to babble incoherently, struggling against the other's iron grip.

"P-p-please…" the man mutters and then howls out in pain when the Uchiha all but snaps the man's wrist in half.

"Sasuke!" Hinata moved, putting her hands on his other arm but he refused to look at her, his gaze completely focused on the man whose wrist he's just broken.

"Don't beg." His voice was hard, cold "It's pathetic." With a swift movement he grabs the man by the front of his shirt, lifting him up to eye level. He moves away from her slightly so he can reach behind him for his katana. At the sound of sliding metal the man begins openly sobbing and begging.

"Listen very carefully because I'm only going to say this once," the fallen avenger began, his voice low yet everyone being able to hear him as if he were shouting "I don't care what you want to do with or to me but I've had enough of you sniveling cowards taking out your rage on Hinata. The next person who harms her in any way, shape, or form, not _only_ will I kill you; I will kill everyone within a twenty foot radius." He was dead serious and Hinata had no words, nothing she could do, he was just too angry. As a shinobi she has learned to sense certain things. Sasuke was so enraged that it was as if it were a physical thing, his desire to kill so thick she almost felt as if she would choke from it.

Everyone within listening range paled at his announcement. Throwing the man down to the ground he pointed the tip of his katana at the man's throat.

"Give me one good reason why you should continue to exist after harassing someone for four months straight. As far as I'm concerned, your life is forfeit."

Moving forward again, her hands are shaky as she places them on his arm once more, pale eyes pleading "Please…please don't do this. I don't…they'll…I don't want you t-to be taken away f-from me."

Silence reigned with the exception of the man's sobbing.

"Hinata," he turned his head towards her slightly "If you don't want me to get involved, _defend yourself_." It was a clear warning; if she wanted these people to live she needed to make an effort to keep them from harming her. No matter how kind or caring he was to her, he was still a man who held no qualms with killing. He has told her that she is the only thing that matters to him which only makes things worse because he is willing to do anything to protect her; he is not above harming people to get his point across.

_No matter what he feels for me, he's still the same angry, ruthless person._

There is a collective sigh of relief when he sheathes his sword behind his back. "You all are really fucking pathetic." He snaps "And you probably go to bed telling yourselves you're good people." He snorted and turned, gently taking her arm as they walk away from the market place.

When they were on the empty road to his apartment she spoke up "I-I'm sorry that I…th-that I didn't…"

"It doesn't matter." He cut her off, not looking at her. After a few steps he stopped, turning her to face him. His eyes were still red "I warned you that people would say things, I didn't say let them beat the hell out of you on a daily basis."

She felt the back of her eyes sting "I know b-but…"

"Hinata," it sounded like a warning "I watched you for four months and said nothing; I'm _done_ watching."

He was angry and he had a right to be, she understood that. If it had been Neji, Shino, or Kiba, they would have beaten the hell out of those guys a long time ago. Sasuke had stayed back in hopes that she'd take care of it on her own like she seemed to have wanted, he had tried to respect her wishes. Hinata understood that there was only so much a person could take concerning watching a loved one being attacked daily. "I'm…I'm sorry." She meant it. She hadn't said anything to him not just because he would have become angry, but she hadn't wanted to burden him with her problems when she had known it would happen.

He stared at her for a little longer and then continued back to the apartment. He said nothing else.

Hinata knew one thing for sure, if Sasuke hadn't wanted to stay in the village before he definitely wouldn't want to stick around now. She had about six months to make a decision and, unfortunately, she was still undecided. She loved him, but did she love him enough to abandon her village and her home? She still wasn't sure and that made her feel like a horrible person.

Later that night after leaving his apartment the Uchiha leaves shortly after, heading back to the marketplace area where he saw the man with the red pin who had been harassing her for four months straight. The same red pin as the organization trying to kill him.

xxxxx

"I can't believe we had _that_ many members of the Red Death organization here within our own walls." Tsunade mused, scowling. "Good work, Uchiha, we've gathered all of them and they're being interrogated as we speak."

The dark haired man stood there silently, his expression grim. Neji was standing beside him, his pale gaze curious.

"They had been watching her for the past four months," the Uchiha remarked, "Once they had felt it safe enough to actually try something they had their gopher boy try and initiate the attack."

"I tracked him to their hideout." Neji continued "But I am of the belief that this was just a main branch. It is very likely there are smaller divisions spread throughout the village."

"Well, the one's we've captured will know something." Tsunade said, leaning back in her chair "I know it wasn't easy for you two to watch what was going on but what we've gained will hopefully be worth it."

Sasuke scowled at her and Neji felt a little similar. It _had_ been difficult to watch his little cousin go through such an ordeal and be unable to do anything until the time was right. Restraining Uchiha the entire time had been a monumental effort on his part and he strongly felt that he deserved a promotion. There had been so many times where he had actually had to lock up his chakra points to keep the fallen avenger from killing everyone in the area as they tortured Hinata. It was pretty safe to say at this point that the man was in love with her.

"Also," Tsunade's gaze shifted to Sasuke "While I understand your anger Uchiha, that man you killed _was_ a civilian and there's strict laws here concerning shinobi/civilian conflicts."

The grin he flashed Tsunade looked very disturbing to Neji "Man? Don't you mean group?"

Both the Hokage and Hyuuga stiffened at the proclamation. "You mean that group of four? You killed all of them?" Neji was in disbelief.

"Punish me if you're going to punish me," he snapped at Tsunade "If I could, I'd do it again, only slower."

Neji resisted the urge to put a frustrated hand through his hair. The Uchiha could have just destroyed all he had been working for all these months.

"This isn't something to joke about!" the Hokage snapped and something shifted in the Uchiha's expression.

"I'm not joking." He deadpanned. His stance was stiff, as if ready to attack if need be and he was not backing down "You're the one constantly bitching about my mental health and yet you assigned me to a mission where I'd have to watch my girlfriend suffer for four months straight. What the fuck did you think would happen?"

_Tsunade is going to flay him_. Neji thought miserably _What am I going to tell Hinata-sama?_

The hostility in the air was overwhelming. The Hyuuga realized just how much the dark haired man had been holding back all those months. The rage flowing off of him was thick and intense; it was very obvious he had wanted to do more than kill the four men that had tormented Hinata. It brought back the stinging reality that Uchiha Sasuke was still a very dangerous and volatile man. Just because he had Hinata didn't mean he was going to become passive. Because so little had been happening beyond the two of them being together it had been easy to fall into a false sense of security; around Hinata Uchiha was very calm, almost normal. But in the end, he had his limits.

"Hokage-sama," Neji came in "Uchiha has a point. The mental condition that he has been expressed to have accompanied by the trauma from watching Hinata-sama being terrorized for so long is a rather good argument to present to the council in regards to the deaths of the four men. Considering the people that he has lost in his past, his overreaction was something we should have predicted. We obviously underestimated Hinata's value to him with disastrous results."

_His clan was murdered; he killed his own brother without knowing the truth, watching Hinata suffer must have been agonizing on a level we cannot possibly understand._

"Fine." Tsunade looked a mixture between annoyed and tired "It's good enough for me." She looked at Sasuke "I'm basically biting the bullet for this one but if you continue to behave like this there is nothing I can do."

"Don't put me in that sort of position again and it won't. I'm not allowed to decline missions based on our deal. Anyone who harms Hinata in my presence, their life is forfeit."

She looked as if she wanted to yell at him but then realized that she was dealing with a person not entirely there concerning certain things and changed her mind "Look, just try not to kill anyone, you got six months left and we're not done finalizing everything. If you get locked up who will protect Hinata then?"

He did not respond and Neji could see that she was hoping she had finally gotten through to him. It has been a long time since Uchiha has been this difficult to deal with.

_Well, Tsunade won't make that mistake again._ The Hyuuga thought _Now she knows he won't act professionally if it involves Hinata-sama._

A sigh "Alright, I have some more information for you two." She waited until she had their attention "We're hoping that this group can confirm it but we believe that we know where their base of operations is. If we get some more solid evidence I will assign you two to scout out the area and/or capture/eliminate anyone inside. There is no real name for the organization's leader; she actually goes by the name 'Red Death'. It's to be assumed that she's fanatical and possibly insane. We also don't know what she looks like, but all of this evidence you've been bringing us for the past few months has been beneficial."

"Tsunade-sama," the Hyuuga genius comes in "If the organization is truly beginning to focus their attentions on Hinata-sama it might be best to keep her from missions and keep a constant watch on her until we can settle things."

The Hokage nods "It's a good point, I'll assign Hinata to the academy for now, she's good with children. Okay, until we're done squeezing out all the information we need from these guys you'll be off missions for a little while. If this lead is solid I want to make sure you're ready to go at a moment's notice. If there's nothing else, you're dismissed."

xxxxx

It was going to get cold soon and there were a few wild herbs that she wanted to try and get a surplus of before they died. Last year she had ended up really regretting not coming out because there had been a few things she had wanted to make that had been important.

Konoha was a fairly flat area but there were some high places, which is where Hinata is now. She is pleased because there is a bit of an overabundance of a particular herb that was really good for some remedies and were a bit more difficult to make due to lack of ingredients. By the time she is finished her basket is full and she's pretty happy with the results. Just as she was reaching for another plant she hears someone very close to her. Turning, she noticed it was only a civilian. He was pale, almost sickly, with long jagged yellow hair and black eyes.

Why hadn't she sensed him? Even as a civilian she should have been able to sense something. It was as if the man had appeared out of thin air.

He smiled at her and it looked extremely disturbing on him "Are you Hyuuga Hinata?"

He knew her name? Well, it was a large village and there were many people who could connect Uchiha with Hyuuga due to their relationship. "Um, yes, I am."

The smile didn't disappear "Ah, good." Hinata watched in horror when the man's hand went from normal to a set of very long, sharp blades "My name is Niro." He says and strikes.

xxxxx

Hinata had told him that she had a rather tight schedule today and would stop by later in the evening so when he heard a knock on the door he had to do a double take. Why would Hinata need to knock when she had a key?

The second knock was louder and a little more insistent. Well, it wasn't Naruto, he would have just barged in. It wasn't Hinata, so what the hell? He opens the door to reveal Hinata's old team mates, Inuzuka and Aburame.

"Is Hinata here?" Inuzuka asks and the Uchiha becomes slightly irritated.

"Wasn't she supposed to be with you two today?" he asked "I should be asking _you_ where she is."

When the two men gave each other concerned looks he knew something had happened to Hinata.

"We waited for hours but she never showed," Inuzuka again "She had said that she would be collecting herbs this morning but it shouldn't have taken her well until lunch. We've looked all over and couldn't find her so we thought she was here."

"No, she's not here." He said the words slowly "I haven't seen her all day –"

"Sasuke-kun!" came Sakura's voice. She sounded panicked. She wasn't crying so whatever happened it wasn't devastating, just bad.

The other two turn towards her as she runs up and stops catching her breath. After a moment she speaks up "Hinata-chan, some civilians found her, they said she had mentioned something about getting away and we got there as soon as we could."

"How is she?" Aburame asked softly.

Sakura shook her head "She was…it was pretty bad. Multiple stab wounds, she'd been sliced up by something very sharp, like a sword. We've been working on her for hours, I've been overseeing her condition myself. I'm here now because she's been stabilized."

"There was no evidence of the attacker?" Shino asked, sounding thoughtful "Hinata's ability to sense chakra is very keen, I wonder who could have been skilled enough to do something of that magnitude."

Sasuke had an idea "Sakura." Green eyes flickered to his crimson "Take me to Hinata."

They had put her in a room now that she was out of the critical stages and she looked awful. There was barely a place on her body that wasn't bandaged and she definitely looked as if she were in pain. The three men entered but the fallen avenger held back, strangely silent.

"Please don't crowd her too much," Sakura told them "She does need her rest. Just a few minutes guys, okay?" she looked at Sasuke "Sasuke-kun…you can stay as long as you want, I'm sure it'll help."

He didn't respond and Sakura quietly left the room. The two men gushed over her for a while before a nurse shooed them away but even then he held back, merely looking at her while she breathed. Neji came in hours later yet still he had not moved from his spot. The male Hyuuga walked to her bedside for a moment before turning to him.

"We have orders from Tsunade to report for a mission. It looks like they've gotten something."

Sasuke looks over at Neji with a blank expression before turning and following him out without complaint.

When the two men entered the Hokage's office her face looked grim. She took in the two men, Sasuke specifically and seemed a little wary of the fact that there didn't seem to be any emotion coming from him and he was very silent. Both Neji and Tsunade shared the same thought: Calm before the storm.

"We've found their major base of operations," Tsunade announced "It is their main headquarters and it is within the Fire Country, one of Orochimaru's abandoned labs even."

"That would make sense," the Hyuuga reasoned "The experiments could have led them to that location."

"First thing I want you to do is scout the area and really make sure those reports are true. Then I want you to go down there and get rid of the place. I'd like to have the leader alive if at all possible." She looked pointedly at Sasuke and he slowly looked up at Tsunade.

"If you send me in there," he said soft and low "I will murder every single person in that hole and then demolish it. I suggest you get your team in there first if you want to save whoever you want to save and I will pick off the leftovers." His eyes narrowed "If it takes longer than five minutes, I can't promise anything. I'm not in a patient mood."

"With a small team five minutes should be more than enough time, if for nothing else than a head start." Neji interjected "In this case, an Aburame would be sufficient for infiltration and gathering accurate information. A medical shinobi would be preferable for our fourth member."

"Alright, I'll give you Yamanaka." Tsunade said "Sakura will want to stay here since she's the one that's been doing the most work on Hinata and Ino should be more than capable. As for an Aburame, Shino should suffice. Besides, he'd be very upset if I didn't send him." Tsunade smirked slightly. Shino didn't complain much but it was very obvious that he disliked being left out of important situations.

"By the way," the Uchiha came in, his voice still low and calm "No one kills the rejects. All of them, _especially _Niro, are mine."

"You think it was one of them that attacked Hinata?" the Hokage asked, putting two and two together "You said their chakra was difficult to read…"

"You can't sense Niro's chakra." Sasuke said "He's a virtual ghost that can manipulate his body into blades."

Remembering that battle at that tavern, Neji frowned. "I wonder how long they had been tracking Hinata-sama," he mostly thought out loud "To know where she was specifically, they would have had to have been keeping an eye on her."

"We're still gleaning information from the people we've captured," she explained "We'll find any loose ends here, I want you all to set out as soon as you can, the longer we wait the easier it'll be for them to flee if they catch wind of us coming." She looked at Uchiha "She's going to be fine and we got to her in enough time, there won't be any heavy scarring, if any."

"Hn." He wasn't looking at her and if it weren't for the fact that the two knew that he loved Hinata they would have doubted it from his indifferent expression. Neji was beginning to understand his partner. The more silent Uchiha was the angrier he was. Neji could only hope that he'd live up to his word of waiting five minutes because it was extremely likely that when they arrive he'd just go down there and start slicing anything that moved. An angry Uchiha was unstable and unpredictable, the Hyuuga hoped he would be able to keep the man somewhat passive until necessary but there was a feeling of doubt there. According to Sakura, Sasuke had been standing in the same spot watching Hinata for almost five hours. He never spoke once.

The Hyuuga had a really, really bad feeling about this.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

xxxxx

"We are a few miles from the location described," Aburame informed them "I have sent a few kikaichu ahead, we should have word by morning."

"Then we'll camp here for tonight." Neji informed them. He turned to Sasuke "You should also rest, you might need it."

Sasuke, was who was far away from the group but not out of earshot looked over at them from his spot against a tree "No."

Neji mentally sighed. Hinata never did tell him how the Uchiha had recovered from his three month fatigue and he didn't feel like sharing either. That would mean that there was a personal reason. Neji had a few ideas in mind but he didn't feel like entertaining them.

"I'll take first watch," the team leader said "Yamanaka will take second, Aburame you'll have the last watch so you can report to us what you've learned first thing." With a pause he looked back over at the Uchiha "Can I trust you to stay true to your word Uchiha?" he asked "We can't have you sneaking off in the middle of the night."

He didn't answer, which was pretty much an affirmative, otherwise he would have said no.

They couldn't light a fire because the smoke would be seen so they had to work with lamps for light as they set everything up for the night. Neji had just finished setting up when Yamanaka Ino did something really stupid. She decided to go talk to Sasuke.

"Hey, Sasuke," the blonde began, her face genuinely sympathetic "Hinata-chan –"

Red eyes snapped up to her "Get lost." That would be her only warning.

Flaring up, she opened her mouth to finally give him a piece of her mind when a hand slapped over her mouth and Neji dragged her back over to camp.

"I wasn't even being rude Neji so why the hell –" the blonde was furious. She had truthfully wanted to give Sasuke a kind word because everyone in the rookie nine knew he was in love with the girl and she was friends with her.

"Listen, Ino," he cut her off "Don't make the mistake of thinking that just because he's with Hinata-sama that he's going to become approachable and kind. If I hadn't stopped you, he _would have_ seriously harmed you, if he didn't actually try to kill you. He is in an extremely volatile mood and nothing short of killing a lot of people is going to calm him down."

She blanched and looked over at Sasuke who was not looking up at any of them. "H-he really w-would have…?"

"The killing intent coming from him is very strong," Shino came in "It is safe to assume that anyone who approaches him will be attacked."

"He still hates us," Hyuuga continued "he still hates the village. The only thing he loves or cares about is Hinata-sama."

Shaken, she shook her head, feeling a little sick "How can Hinata-chan…how could she fall for him? Why is she with someone like that?"

"Because he loves her." Shino commented, adjusting his shades "And he has gone through extraordinary lengths, even swallowing his pride, to prove that to her. Hinata is his anchor, she does keep him calm but she does not control him nor would she try to. There may be people he learns to tolerate through Hinata, but he will never truly care for them, not like he does her."

"But…aren't you guys afraid that he'll snap and attack her one day?" she looked very worried.

"If that were the case, we would not be standing here." The bug user continued "We would have used every means available to kill him, even at the cost of our lives."

The Uchiha had never really held any ill feelings towards Aburame and now he actually somewhat respected him. He didn't like him, but he respected his skill and intelligence. Out of the two prior teammates to Hinata, Shino would have been the most difficult to deal with concerning getting close to her romantically, despite the Inuzuka's loud mouth. Shino would have used any and every method to kill him and he would have done so quietly with no hint that he was even contemplating hurting someone. He had to admit, he could respect that.

Would he have killed Ino? He would have hurt her, badly, but he wouldn't have killed her. Despite his temperament he knew if he killed anyone else Konoha-related Tsunade would screw him over and he'd never see Hinata again. Had circumstances been different, he wouldn't have even hesitated.

He knew it was Niro that had attacked Hinata, he would have been the only one able to get that close to her without her realizing it and the nature of the wounds confirmed it. He was going to thoroughly enjoy killing the test tube reject. Then he was going to go after the person who sent the order to hurt Hinata and well…it wouldn't be pretty. One would think the other rejects would have fled after the mangled mess he had made of the 'mother and daughter'; apparently they thought they stood a better chance.

Idiots.

When he returned, he hoped Hinata would be awake although he wasn't entirely sure how he would react when he saw her. He wasn't even entirely sure how he felt right now, knowing that she was in the hospital, yet again. Same type of creature, practically same reason. He knew that he was the one responsible, they were trying to get to him through her, and he understood the logical choice would be to let her go. Her life would be thousands of times easier without him in her life. There had been times where he had contemplated it and then realized that he was too much of a selfish son-of-a-bitch to do it. He had her, he wasn't going to let go.

_She still could say no._

It wasn't unreasonable. She cared about him, that much was obvious, but after all of this, she might not want to deal with it. That would be…very unfortunate for a lot of people. He would never hurt her, even if she rejected him, but he'd be…it would…

He wouldn't be able to handle her rejection, he loved her too much and his desire to be with her was overwhelming. He really hoped she didn't, simply because there really would be no point to his existence any more. She was the only one he would accept, meaning that if she denied him he would be unable to fulfill his brother's wishes. Life would become absolutely meaningless, like before. He'd probably just ask to go to jail at that point and rot in there.

_Stop thinking about it._

Closing his eyes, he waited for morning.

xxxxx

"This is where Red Death's personal chambers lie," Shino explained, it was barely light out but they were all awake and ready to take this organization on. From his kikaichu Shino had acquired an entire layout of the base and had drawn it on the ground with a stick. "There is also a chamber where it can be assumed to be a meeting room for the higher ranking subjects of the organization."

"So she'll more than likely be near those areas." Neji pointed out and Shino nodded. He almost breathed a sigh of relief. The woman was all the way at the back of the base, there would be less people and fewer chances for the Uchiha to come in and kill her in the chaos. Neji was taking the five minute warning seriously and was including it within his calculations.

"This area seems to be an arena and is within the center of the compound." He continued, drawing an X at the marks he was indicating "It has been turned into a barracks although there are approximately fifty personnel inside, including the leader herself."

"And you are absolutely certain the description you have given us is her?" the team leader wanted to know.

"Yes, it was confirmed by several individuals within the night and a meeting was held a little after midnight."

"The rejects?" Sasuke asked. He was standing off to the side but clearly able to see the diagram "Were they in there?"

A nod "Yes, they were quite easy to identify. The two males are situated as guards at the front and the one named Niro has only been seen inside although it is highly likely he will come out when they see you."

"I hope so." It was said flatly.

"Alright, here's the plan," Neji took a step back, crossing his arms as he looked at the diagram "Yamanaka will stay behind, Aburame and I will block both paths here," he took Shino's stick to point "this will render the leader unable to escape. There are more than likely hidden chambers that we would need to be worried about." He looked at Shino "Will finding her be a problem?"

"There is a female placed on her," he explained "I will be able to find her."

Neji frowned in thought. Shino really did think of everything "Then instead we'll go in together, since you will know where she will be. Instead of staying behind Yamanaka you will be coming with us, in case we are forced to incapacitate her. More than likely until Uchiha goes inside he will pick off whoever flees. We are not to kill the leader unless absolutely necessary. She is our number one priority, anyone who interferes will be cut down. Understood?" they were on a short time schedule, they couldn't afford to loiter around. He looked at Aburame "Any shinobi?"

"Most of the individuals are civilians, male. There is one female shinobi and, besides the constructs, two males. It is safe to assume that they are either at a jounin level or higher. It would appear that if the subject Niro is not around they act as his replacement. An encounter with them will be unavoidable."

He turned to Ino "Don't worry about getting anyone but the leader. I want her out of commission while we deal with the guardians."

She nods "I'll use Shinranshin, it'll immobilize her long enough."

With a mental sigh he turned to Sasuke "Would it be much trouble to ask for a shadow clone?" he asked "We will need a distraction for the third shinobi."

There was silence. Then his hands shifted and a shadow clone of him emerged, sour face and all. The clone smirked but there was no humor there. "I'll try to keep my hands to myself when you encounter the leader."

That was as good as it was going to get. Unpredictable but Neji had a feeling that the clone really wouldn't kill her. Sasuke was a bastard but he wasn't _completely_ heartless, he'd give them a fair chance to get her. Now, if they failed, all bets were off. Considering that the organization she was running was specifically created to kill him Neji wouldn't blame him for killing her if things didn't go as planned.

"Alright, we're a few miles out, I'll keep ahead with the Byakugan, Yamanaka will remain in the middle, Aburame after me and Uchiha in the back watching our flank." Another glance at the bug user "Anything else we should know?"

"The leader herself seems to be a civilian," he informed them and then paused for a moment "she carries a sword and a few daggers on her person, nothing more."

"Alright, let's move out."

xxxxx

Sure enough, standing guard at the base entrance were the other constructs. They both had pale blue hair and a sickly white complexion. Once they were in range the Uchiha went out first. Slowly he unsheathed his katana as he walked out into the clearing, his gait smooth and controlled. Their unnaturally dark eyes slid over to him as he emerged and they blinked for only a moment before long grins spread along their faces at the same time.

"We knew you would come." One of them said "They told us if we went after the girl you'd come to us."

The Uchiha stopped, his expression blank, crimson eyes taking in the two saps who were about to die horribly. "Well, I'm here." He said, raising his arms slightly "Come and get me."

The two males rushed at him together and it was very clear that the two men were well synchronized, but they were also incredibly slow. Too bad.

One of the males howled in pain as his arm landed a few feet away from him. The other one's eyes widened and Sasuke turned to his team that was waiting for an opportunity.

"Well?" he told them "The clock is ticking." With that he rushed off to the side, the two males chasing. The one missing a limb was enraged, eyes wild as his body slowly generated a scythe-looking weapon. The Uchiha frowned, what was up with these people and scythes?

He allowed them to strike at him, mostly to allow the team enough time to get in without too much difficulty. Once they were inside went back on the offensive, taking note of their now confident grins. Well, there could only be one reason why they'd be smiling.

There was the brush of wind and Sasuke dodged to the side, avoiding a slice to the back from Niro who seemed to emerge out of thin air. Niro was the most annoying one because he couldn't sense him, the other two were garbage. His keen eyes looked at the three of them as they began to circle.

"What will you do now that you can't use that Sharingan of yours against us?" one of them asks. "It's three against one."

The fallen avenger almost started laughing at them. They had _no idea_ what they were getting themselves into. Well, he had said five minutes but he was in a playful mood. Smirking, he motioned for the one armed one to come get him "Let's see if I can aim for the neck this time." He said and charged.

xxxxx

There was surprisingly little resistance as Shino led the group and no alarms had been set off. Either these people weren't worried about intruders or they were extremely incompetent. Considering that Tsunade had reported them as being highly unorganized with an insane leader, the latter seemed to make the most sense. From the information they had been able to acquire the organization had been hastily created and had started out with Red Death and several hired shinobi; it had gone from there. The individuals that had been in the tavern that day were merely 'members', they believed in what the organization stood for but as a whole were no real threat. More than likely, if this place was destroyed it would all eventually fizzle out. There were a lot of people who hated Uchiha Sasuke, but not many of them wanted to actually fight the man.

When they started nearing the back of the base they began to run into civilians and they were all quickly dispatched. Although they were not shinobi, all of them had held a weapon of some sort; they were simply not as skilled as his team was. More than likely a militia force.

"It would appear that either she is not aware of what is going on outside or she is waiting for us," Shino explained "The kikaichu I sent up ahead claim that she is in her room with the three shinobi. The room is actually rather massive; it was more than likely used personally by Orochimaru previously."

"She can't be _that_ confident, can she?" Ino asked "Or maybe she has traps inside."

"The Slave Driver said that she was possibly fanatical," the Sasuke-clone came in "members of the organization say that she had received a message from god concerning killing me and bathing in my blood or whatever. The actual order itself seems to be cultish but she didn't even wait to really get forces together and situate herself, she just started coming after me, thus their lack of competence."

Neji paled "Did you just say that she was told by a god to bathe in your blood?" he sounded disgusted.

The clone shrugged "Look, I couldn't make this up if I tried. The Slave Driver told me all of the details but they were so bizarre and ridiculous I stopped listening after 'eating the heart to gain eternal life'."

Appalled, disgusted silence descended over the group.

"That…" Ino began "was the most disturbing thing I've heard in a long time. This woman is obviously insane."

"It should make things easier then." The clone said, shrugging.

There were no traps, no guards, just the leader and her three shinobi. The group was completely stunned; either she was really confident in her shinobi or she was seriously insane.

The group stuck with 'Insane' when they entered the room and the woman sat on a rather elaborate throne with the three shinobi to her side. Her hair was blood red and looked dyed, her entire outfit not only looked uncomfortably tight but yes, it was also red. Her nails were red, her eye shadow was red, her lips were red. Her – blue – eyes found the Sasuke clone and her eyes widened with a sick sort of joy as she stood up, spreading her arms out wide.

"You've come to me!" she exclaimed "He told me that this day would come, He foretold that I would meet you face to face before I could ascend to Godhood. He claimed that it would be better to perform the ritual upon your arrival as opposed to having your body brought to me. Now not only will I be granted eternal life I will become one of the gods themselves!"

"If someone doesn't shut this lunatic up in the next two seconds," the clone began "I am going to kill her. Painfully."

The group burst into movement, Ino immediately forming the hand seal. It was a success and the woman collapsed as she was rendered immobile. While the other three engaged the shinobi Ino took the moment to grab the woman and drag her to a location out of the way and bound her limbs. After a moment of thought, she gagged her too.

xxxxx

Dodging a well placed slice to the throat he tilted and thrust his katana up and through the body of one of the males. It paused as if stunned and then his body split into two, crumpling to the ground.

"So, you can create weapons from your limbs," Sasuke began "But you have to actually have limbs to do it hm?" he was addressing the previously one armed male that was now missing its other arm and a leg. He was ignoring the screaming "How unfortunate for you."

He lifted his katana, blocking Niro's massive curved blade of an arm before being pushed back. It hissed at him. The construct did not look pretty, Sasuke had done to it what it had done to Hinata, sliced him into ribbons. They were just deep enough to slow him down and make him feel the pain.

It has been longer than five minutes, he's going on about seven at this point, but they deserved a slow death for harming what was his. _Especially_ Niro.

Three individuals emerged from the underground passage and Sasuke used his superior speed to catch them and cut them down. No one was leaving alive today. Not a single one. He purposefully kept his back turned and when Niro charged at him as predicted, not only did he block, he looked into the creatures eyes with his Mangekyo. Its eyes widened.

"Surprised?" he asked "Orochimaru had no idea of the true power of the Sharingan. I'll give you a demonstration."

After a sufficient amount of time had passed for the creature to truly suffer the effects of the Tsukuyomi he cut off his head. The construct that was still alive had stopped its screaming and was now in the sobbing and moaning stage. He decided to let the creature bleed to death.

"I hope they appreciate the extra two minutes I gave them." The Uchiha said darkly, slowly walking inside the compound, blade dripping with blood.

xxxxx

The clone disappeared in a cloud of smoke as Shino stepped back and away from his enemy whose chakra was being fully devoured by his kikaichu. The female was on the other side of the room lying in a pool of blood. The last enemy had just slumped to the ground, immobile from Neji's Sixty-four Palms technique.

"I'll take the leader, Ino." Neji offered, walking over. She was unconscious but he still pressed on a specific point to ensure she would not awaken for quite a while. With that, he throws the woman over his shoulder. Shino returns to the group, his swarm flowing into the sleeves of his coat.

The two males were sporting a few injuries but nothing serious so they decided to head out. It was deathly quiet inside so Neji activated his Byakugan. Then he deactivated it, his face slightly pale. Ino noticed.

"Something wrong?" she asked him and he flashed her a strained smile.

"You'll see."

The halls were littered with dead bodies, blood was soaking the ground. Ino put a hand over her mouth, blanching. It wasn't as if Neji hadn't seen a dead body before, and it wasn't as if Uchiha hadn't gone for quick kills…it was just…so many people.

Rounding the corner they saw the Uchiha slice down the last occupant of the compound. Slowly, his red gaze shifted towards them almost seeming to glow in the lowly lit base.

"Uchiha," Neji greeted "Our mission is complete, we can start heading back to Konoha."

"Go on ahead, I'll catch up." The voice was flat, holding no emotion "I'm going to destroy this place."

None of the others held any objections to this and he disappeared. The group had just exited the entrance when they heard the first set of explosions, startling them slightly. Leaving the clearing, they took note of the civilians that hadn't made it, Niro's sliced and decapitated body, and the other two cut into pieces.

"Remind me to never seriously piss Uchiha off." Neji muttered to himself as he looked at the gruesome scene. All of the constructs seemed to have suffered before they had finally been killed, unlike the others. It was brutal, Uchiha Sasuke was brutal. A sadistic, cruel, brutal, murderer.

And his cousin's boyfriend.

_Let it never be assumed again that Uchiha Sasuke has gone 'soft'. _Hyuuga thought _It is very obvious that 'that side' of him is very alive and kicking in full force._

xxxxx

Light penetrated her vision as she slowly began to open her pale eyes. Wincing, she turned her head from the bright lights above and found that she was lying down. Her head was lying on a pillow. She was in a bed. But where?

The smells of the hospital brought Hinata's world back into focus and when her vision cleared a raven haired man was sitting beside her in a chair, dark eyes on her form. His face looked blank but there was a hard gleam to his eyes. She recognized this man, he was someone she cared about deeply.

"Sasuke." She says softly, smiling. His hard gaze remained on her for a moment longer before he closed his eyes briefly.

"Hey." He responds, his expression not unkind but definitely guarded. She wasn't sure if she liked that look, it was familiar and did not bring about good feelings.

Worry fills her features and she tries to reach out to him but her body feels very heavy. He seems to notice because his larger hand moves to cover hers in a soft, reassuring grip. His thumb brushes over her ring briefly. Frowning, Hinata tries to remember what she was going to tell him. There had been something, but she couldn't recall it now.

"Niro is dead, if you're wondering." His deep voice cuts into her thoughts and she wonders if he really is psychic. "And we caught the lunatic that was running the organization trying to kill me."

Her surprise is obvious as she looked at him but he still seems guarded. Panic fills her for a moment; the last time he had been like this he had stopped talking to her for over a week.

"The lower ranking members thought they were just hunting me down because they hated me," he continued "But apparently, the crazy bitch running the show wanted to use my body in some sort of eternal life ritual." Her eyes widened in horror and revulsion "They've locked her up in the insanity ward at the prison."

"Are you going to start avoiding me again?" she gasped slightly, surprised with how she had blurted out what she had been thinking. She hadn't meant to ask that.

His expression hardens but he doesn't remove his hand. "It won't stop, you know." He told her "People trying to kill me. People trying to get to me through you. As long as you're with me the chances of it happening are high."

Apparently whatever medication they were putting her on was good stuff because she was feeling very blunt today "Are you trying to break up with me?" once again she had blurted out the question "That's what people say when they're going to leave someone. At least, that's what I've read in romance novels."

His entire demeanor actually changed and he gave her a look "You actually read that trash?" there was finally amusement in his tone. "You're worse than Kakashi."

Despite her drugged state she blushed and looked slightly pouty "They're not trash…a-and you didn't answer my q-question." She was beginning to look a little nervous, he had looked so serious. Would he actually leave her? He had promised that there would be no more back and forth on feelings and that he had made his final decision…had that changed?

"It would be easier on you." He told her, all traces of humor gone. His thumb was absently brushing over her ring still "Less hospital visits."

He was actually breaking up with her? After everything? For a while she just stared at him, not understanding. He had warned her that this would happen and she said that she would take the full year before giving him an answer because of that. She would need to see what she was getting into, that had been the mindset. Now after six months he was backing out?

"You're a coward." She deadpanned and his eyes widened in surprise. "S-so all of t-these h-hardships that I've a-accepted because I knew th-that was my price for being w-with you have been for n-nothing. T-the insults, being shunned, hurt…I did it for nothing. W-why did you a-ask me to m-marry you if y-you were j-just going to g-give up when things b-became difficult?" she felt herself crying, she felt very emotional and upset and she knew most of that was drug induced "I-if you b-break up with m-me then just…don't b-bother with m-me again! I won't….no more. You promised."

There was a thick silence in the air and he wasn't looking at her. His hand was still over hers but unmoving. For a very long time he didn't move or speak. Eventually her tears faded and she began to slip in and out of consciousness.

"This is your last out, Hyuuga." He suddenly said, his voice cutting through the silence and the sleepy haze of her mind. His voice sounded very thick "After this, I can't make any promises if you dump me at the end."

"Who said I would dump you?" she asked and yawned, fighting off sleep. "You're the one that keeps pushing me away, you're always the one dumping me." Her voice sounds cloudy, unfocused "If you don't want to be with me then go away. I'm sleepy."

There seems to be hesitation "Hinata…" he began "I'm serious. If we continue this and at the end you…"

"What about me?" she asked him and he blinked at her in confusion "If anything, I should be the one afraid of being dumped, it's all you've done." She sniffled, feeling weepy along with sleepy and now she was getting mad. After everything she's done to show him that she wanted to be with him…held him during his nightmares, helped him while he had been delirious, took time out of her life to stick around and make him lunches and dinners. Hell, she even cleaned his apartment! "I-if you b-break up with me I'll n-never speak to you again."

With his free hand he put it through his hair. He looked very frustrated. "If you stay, you're staying." He said eventually, his voice dark.

Confusion filled her features. Why wasn't he making any sense? "Y-you said I had a year…"

"I know what I said, Hinata." He snapped harshly "I'm trying to give you an out while I'm still sure I won't fucking lose it all over this village if you reject me in the end." It was said bluntly

"S-so then you w-want an answer now." It was not a question.

Jumping out of his chair he began to pace the room angrily "Do you honestly have any idea of who I am, what I'm capable of?" she wasn't sure if he was actually speaking to her or just talking, it didn't completely seem to feel as if he were directly talking to her. "They're not fucking around when they say I'm mentally unstable and I'm telling you right now, if you back out now I'll fucking walk away and you'll have your life back. If you back away, I'll fucking get Naruto to do something or I'll go to jail or _something_." Something very hard and cold moved over his face and his voice was low when he spoke again, a clear threat "But I_ swear_ Hinata if you stick with this and then break up with me in the end people will die_. A lot_ of people. So yes, I need a fucking answer _now." _


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

"_But I _swear_ Hinata if you stick with this and you break up with me in the end people will die. _A lot_ of people. So yes, I need a fucking answer _now_." _

His back was turned to her, his entire body was very tense. Reaching the button for her bed she raised herself until she was sitting up. She was awake now but still feeling the effects of the drugs they were giving her for the pain. Her eyes took him in silently, her mind working.

In the past six months she had been through so many things with him. She held him that night when he had been delirious, when he had admitted that he was probably in love with her. Even after that she would spend some nights with him just so he could get real sleep. She would watch him and it seemed to be the only time he looked peaceful. She's seen his smile, a _real_ smile and how it makes him look even more handsome than he already is. His teasing nature, while sometimes embarrassing – very, _very _embarrassing - is something she has enjoyed. Being in his arms, kissing him, being in his presence…and then the harassment. The cold stares, the rocks, the awful things said. Even though he had hated it he had stood back and trusted her enough to handle it until it got too out of hand and he had to step in.

She's seen him at his best, his worst, and his most vulnerable. She knows what haunts Uchiha Sasuke's dreams at night, she knows that he loves her and would do anything, _anything_ for her. She is not delusional, she has not forgotten that he is cold and cruel. She has not forgotten that he has a dark side to him, she knows this because he had been cruel to her in the beginning. She had seen the fear, guilt, and resolution in his eyes that night he had asked her to marry him. He has swallowed his pride and gone completely against his beliefs _for her._ If she backed away, all of that would be gone. If she stayed, she would have to leave her family and everything she knows behind. She knows that he's making a deal with the Hokage for them to be together…

"If I leave the village," she begins "will I be able to come back to see my family and friends?"

Turning, he looks at her, his gaze impassive "Yes." He told her honestly.

"Will…my family disown me?"

"No."

That was a surprising revelation. The deal between him and the Hokage was that thorough? It seemed that he had gone out of his way to ensure whatever happened; she would be able to come back on friendly terms, if not him.

"Our children?"

There was a bit of silence "If you want them," he said finally "they will not be taken by your family or the village."

One last question "Will I be branded?"

"No." a tense pause "If they try, it won't end well."

The silence continued as Hinata moved through the questions and answers. She let out a shaky breath. She would be able to make a decision, but there were some things she wanted, no needed, to know, to hear confirmed. She knew the answers in her heart, but she needed him to say it or confirm it or something.

"You are," she began, closing her eyes briefly "cold, cruel, merciless, sadistic, you have no qualms with killing others, you hate everyone and for a while you hurt me…physically, mentally…"

His only reaction was his hands clenching into fists at his side. His gaze remained carefully blank.

"I know who you are," she continued "what you've done…what you're capable of doing. But that's…not all there is to you. You won't try to kill someone unless there's a valid reason, even though you threaten a lot. When you care about something you do everything in your power to cherish that. When you're around me you're happier and you tolerate people more, even if you don't like them. Y-you don't have to be noble o-or good b-but I've seen you trying to be honorable. You won't let me apologize unless it's actually my fault, you're really horrible at expressing yourself verbally so you do so physically. You've saved my life so many times…when I died, you didn't give up on me. You and Naruto-kun hold a special bond that makes you more than best friends, l-like brothers. There _are_ a lot of bad things about you, but there are also wonderful things about you if someone is allowed to be close enough to you to see them. If you were truly horrible or evil you wouldn't have a good side to you at all.

"It's those things that made me get up every day and go through the market place, even though it really did hurt to see and experience the coldness and cruelty of people I had once thought cared for me. I did it and it hurt but I had always felt it was worth it when you'd steal all of the onigiri or actually say my cooking was really good." She closed her eyes and took a small breath. "Do…you remember the night you collapsed from fatigue?"

There was a brief flicker of confusion "I know it happened, I don't remember anything." A small pause "Something happened that night." His tone sounded accusing "Something serious." _Something you didn't tell me._

"Y-you…told me…about your family." His body became completely straight and for a split second she thought she saw something but it faded "You told me that they haunt you and that you can't…" she shook her head "you asked me to help you forget." She decided she wouldn't tell him how he had practically tried to force himself on/seduce her. "I tried to get you to sleep but you refused. You didn't know where you were and you kept getting confused about my presence. I-I eventually was able to pull you into bed, you made me promise I wouldn't leave you because you said you don't have nightmares when I'm there.

"That morning, I tried to make a lunch for you and you started shouting…so I went back in and you immediately calmed down."

"That's why you were there all day."

"Yes. I…wanted to be there for you…"

Looking away from her he let out a sigh and he looked very uncomfortable "What else did I say?"

"S-Sasuke…" she waited until she had his attention "D-do you l-love me…like you said y-you thought you did that night?"

He looked as if someone had sucked all the air from his body and for a moment he actually shook. "I…said that?"

"Yes. I…is it true? I h-have to know." She bit her lip "B-because I w-won't marry s-someone I love u-unless they love me in return."

His mouth opened briefly and then closed. He looked away from her, frowning deeply. Like before, he didn't answer her for a long while.

"Those…words I said…" he finally began, although he still wasn't looking at her. "I…wasn't lying." The last part was said very low, so low she almost hadn't caught it. "They were true."

"You have to promise not to push me away anymore." Her gaze was firm "You can't just have me and push me away to pick me back up later."

He met her gaze equally "If you say yes, you're not going anywhere. You're stuck with me." She couldn't tell if it was a promise or a warning. Probably both.

"Then…I choose to stay. I love you and I want to be with you."

His face didn't change but his body seemed as if it had just shed fifty pounds of weight of its back "Hinata," it was a whisper "this is…your last chance. If you agree, you're not getting rid of me. I'm not letting you go, not for _any_ reason."

"I know." She smiled slightly "You're a little possessive."

He snorted "Whatever." A shrug "I have to be, you don't see the looks guys give you." He muttered the last part darkly and she giggled. At that he looked at her and there was no emotional barrier there. She could see it all, especially the small plea that she really, really needed to want this, because if she didn't, if she changed her mind, he wouldn't be able to deal with it. She could see it in his eyes; he is not joking when he says a lot of people will die, he is not joking when he says he _will_ lose it if she tosses him aside. And then there is hope. Hope that she will say yes because if she says no he will walk away, but he'll walk away devastated, because he loves her. To a certain extent he was probably even obsessed with her, but she was also the only person alive he loved. His family was gone, his brother was gone and he had had nothing until her, slight obsession was understandable. Fear of losing her was understandable, he had already lost so much and he had already descended into madness once before.

"…Hinata…"

"I want to be with you." She says, firmer this time "T-that's my decision."

Then he was there, at her side, dipping his head to kiss her. "_Hime,_" he whispers passionately, lovingly. His mouth is rough on hers when he kisses her, his grip on her arms is a little painful due to her injuries but she says nothing. She understands what this means to him, she understands that he feels things on somewhat extreme levels due to the way his life has gone. The hard grip on her loosens shortly and he begins to kiss her softly but passionately. One hand brushes along her cheek to move into her hair. With this kiss he tries to show her what he can't tell her; that he loves her, that for the first time in his life he can look forward instead of back to the past. There are many, many things he _wants_ to say but cannot, so he pours those words and feelings into the kiss and she returns it with equal passion, showing him that she understands and that she feels the same way.

Then he pulls away and they are slightly breathless. He looks at her and she knows and understands that this is a look he will only give her in private, when they are like this. Gently, fingers brush along her lips.

"This…changes some things." He confesses "It's time I told you about the deal I made with Tsunade."

xxxxx

"You're…they're going to let you re-establish Oto?" she asked him a few weeks after she left the hospital. They were in his apartment, she on his couch and he on a chair.

"Yeah." He was leaning on his legs a bit with his arms as he looked up at her "With a lot of stipulations."

Picking up her cup of tea she took a sip, surprised yet not surprised. He was as powerful as a Kage, he was certainly more powerful than Orochimaru had been when he had established the 'village'.

"There was never really a 'village'," Sasuke explained "Just his stronghold and a bunch of underground labs. This time there will actually be a village established and a working shinobi system. The only problem is that there needs to be a daimyo and the guy who was suggested is being a pain in the ass. It's not going to be recognized as a major player in the grand scheme of things, if anything, it'll be an extension of Konoha."

Hinata blinked "Extension?"

His smile was wry "The village will be under Konoha's protection for a number of years until a solid force can be established, meaning that I will have to answer to them. Any major decision has to go through to them first before it can be approved and all of our activity is to be reported to them on a monthly basis. In addition, I won't be the only Kage, at least not for the first five years."

"I-is that possible?" she looked confused. Two Kage's? How did that even work?

"It'll be a partnership, Naruto will be acting as a secondary Kage. When he returns, Tsunade plans on retiring and making him Hokage. She sees this as…good training." He snorted "There's a lot of stuff involved but that's the basic jist of it. What comes to the village to stay are all volunteers, people willing to become a shinobi for Oto. Oh yeah, they get a percentage of the profits we receive from missions." The last part was said dryly "You don't even want to know how much, I'm still arguing with the Slave Driver on her ridiculous rate, it's damn near extortion. Since Konoha is directly allied with Suna it means the village will become an ally, so they will also be sending forces, temporary and, if they want, permanently. As for my own forces, there were an insulting amount of clans Orochimaru royally fucked over in that land; if I promise to give them something better they'll agree. Anything'll be better than the life those poor bastards have and they'll be official clans with a voice and influence depending on how well they make things work for themselves."

Wow. It was really thorough. Then again, that was the way he was, he'd think of all angles and avenues before finalizing anything. "W-what about um, our children? And your seal?"

"Konoha won't have any influence on the clans, including ours." She smiled a little at that "Meaning that they can't touch them. Once you marry me and the village is established you are no longer bound to the Hyuuga clan, you'll be an Uchiha. As for this," he pointed his thumb at his forehead "Tsunade is going to place a seal on the seal, another permanent one. No one will be able to activate it after that. Also, as long as I'm kage I am not allowed to break any alliance given to me by Konoha, including breaking ties with the village itself. So…I have to stomach being involved with Konoha for the rest of my life." He didn't sound too pleased with the prospect "For the first five years they'll be practically hovering over our shoulders on anything we do, but they're also going to build homes, a hospital, everything that we will need, so it's a reasonable trade…I guess."

"No one brought up your…um mental issues?" everyone made such a big deal about it she was sure they said something then as well.

"This deal doesn't go down unless you become my wife," he began "They think you…balance me out." He looked a mixture between exasperated and annoyed "The Hyuuga council has been giving me hell about marrying you," he confessed "Mostly they're just trying to seal a deal where they can try and snatch up one of our kids, they could give a real shit about you actually marrying me. Because the Hokage represents me she's been able to become personally involved. Dealing with your council and Tsunade at the same time is annoying as hell." He put a frustrated hand through his hair "The Slave Driver always gets seriously pissed off and then the meetings have to be cancelled before she starts breaking some serious shit."

"H-how far is the deal now?" she sounded a little nervous. Being the wife of a kage? Especially a kage who is fresh and has to start from scratch? It was a little intimidating.

"Sakura and Naruto were able to get Gaara on board with most of it. The exception was manpower, Suna just doesn't have enough. The Hyuuga council is giving me a hard time about you and some other issues, the prospective daimyo is giving me hell because he wants things that we can't _give_ right away...or at all. The minute details have been worked out and it'd take me all day to explain everything so just take my word for it."

Leaning back, Hinata looked a little overwhelmed, because she was. Her face was pale, this was a lot to take in. This wasn't just leaving the village and starting a family, it was leaving the village and starting a _village_.

"U-um…couldn't you have t-told me about some of this sooner?" she looks distressed "This is…"

Getting up, he moved to sit beside her and put an arm around her shoulders "You really don't have to worry about most of it, a lot of it is solid and it'll happen on its own. There's still six more months of dealing and you really don't need to be there for any of it."

"O-oh." His warmth was comforting but all of this was still rather shocking for her "Is this…what you wanted?"

Leaning back on the couch he shrugged "It's what I had to do to have my family outside of Konoha. When I approached her about making a deal, she told me she wanted me to take over Orochimaru's lands, so I started going over all the details. I had to become an official Konoha shinobi and accept any mission given to me, no matter what." His gaze hardened as he remembered the four months he had to sit back and watch Hinata suffer because of his reputation and who he was. Tsunade was lucky he hadn't slaughtered the entire market place, he had wanted to. "No matter what happens to us I still have to finish these six months before Slave Driver will allow anything else to happen." He rolled his eyes. He couldn't wait until Naruto became Hokage, he'd be less of a pain in the ass for him.

"Y-you mean we…um, could get married?" she sounded a mixture of hopeful and confused. He smirked at her and her ability to look cute doing the strangest things.

"Hiashi supports it. If we tell them you've made a final decision Tsunade will tell the council to fuck off. The only reason they've been bitching still is because they're trying to pressure Tsunade to change things up in their favor since they have the time. If we make a decision the council can't interfere. So yeah, if you want to get married now we could do that."

"Oh." She seemed to be unable to say much else besides that it seemed. It was really just a lot to take in at once, her brain just couldn't wrap around all of it.

"Hinata." He waited until he had her attention "Don't worry about it. It's being handled." He looked away from her "Look, if you need a few days to let it all sink in…"

Leaning against him, she shook her head "N-no. I-I mean I will n-need some time to l-let this sink in but…I'm okay."

Tilting his head, he raised her chin up to meet his gaze "Why do I have a hard time believing that?" his tone was slightly mocking. She blushed and he couldn't help that warm feeling from moving through his body. He kissed her gently and she hesitated at first before she slowly began to relax in his arms. He didn't try to push his luck, until they were actually married he couldn't do anything or the entire Hyuuga clan would be beating down his door for 'defiling' one of their own and causing a scandal or whatever the hell they wanted to throw in there that basically said 'You can't have sex with your girlfriend and no we don't care how bad you want it, suck it up'. He had already said he wasn't going to sleep with her unless she agreed to stay with him.

_Which is why this is going to be hell._ He thought to himself. Now that he knew he could have her, he wanted her. Not that he didn't want her before but now…yeah. He was getting a little tired of cold showers and she simply didn't seem to have any clue that her innocent nature was a really, really huge turn on. Maybe it had something to do with wanting to corrupt her, he didn't fucking know, he just knew he had a really hard time keeping his hands to himself around her.

Pulling away from her he leans back on the couch again, thinking. "That's about it, for the major details. There are a few others but until I get a final word there's no point in discussing it." He looked at her "Listen, there's…" he looked away for a moment, frowning "just take your time with this, Hinata. You don't have to rush anything. I'm the one who forced an answer out of you six months before what I promised you."

"Oh, um, that's not it." He looked at her and she gave him a nervous smile "Being with you…I'm fine with that. It's just…running a village will be hard. I don't know if I…would be good enough."

For a while he didn't answer her, but he gave her a somewhat hard look "Hinata." He said after a while "If you tell me, one more time, that you don't think you're good enough for something, I am going to become very upset." Her eyes widened "I'm serious _Hime_, you have this weird self-depreciation thing that really pisses me off sometimes." She gave him a look that implied that he hadn't exactly helped her with that in the beginning and he actually did look guilty. "Yeah, I know I wasn't the nicest person in the world to you for a long time." It wasn't like he could really regret it, his feelings had been genuine, the ones that he had been able to define anyway. And when he had first met her his head hadn't exactly been in the right place. Somehow he had zeroed in on her and hadn't been able to focus on anything else.

"Well, um, you've really tried hard to make it up," she said in response "and that's…I mean, t-the amount of pain you gave me isn't as big as the, um, love." She blushed and looked away "S-so I'm not upset about it…not anymore. A-and I know you'd n-never do something like that a-again."

That was true, just imagining her hurt or severely injured tore at him in ways he couldn't explain. In fact, seeing her after Niro had attacked her had made him seriously debate leaving her, even though he really wouldn't have been able to handle it. He would have had to have had Naruto or someone lock him up or things would have gotten ugly. Of course, none of that mattered now, because she had said yes, even though he had pressured her. He truly had wanted to give her the remainder of her time but seeing her hurt like that had broken something inside of him. All of those accusations she had made against him were true and he was a real bastard for rushing her like this but it happened so now there was the next step, marriage.

He decided to change the subject "We still have plenty of time," he began "so whenever you're ready."

It was difficult to tell her exactly how he felt about this entire situation. Did he want to be a kage? Not particularly, he wasn't really the sort of person who wanted power just for the sake of having it. His desire for power in the past had always had a reason, revenge. That had been the only reason he had done anything and everything he could, no matter how depraved and immoral it had been, to gain it. While he did not need power to start his family, it was what he had to do to ensure true freedom for them. He knew that Tsunade was doing this for reasons that had nothing to do with helping him, she wouldn't have asked him to become a kage otherwise. It wasn't like he wanted to have anything to do with Konoha but he would stomach it if it meant he didn't actually have to live there. And really, being with Hinata made it worth it.

"Um," her soft voice cut though his thoughts "Marriage I…would like to, um," blushing, she looks away from him, shy "N-now that we k-know it's w-what we want I…whenever y-you want. Um, I'd like that."

It took him a second to figure out what the hell she was saying "Whenever I want?" he raised an eyebrow at her. He hated to admit it but at the moment his brain's equation was 'marriage equals sex' and well, probably telling her 'Right the hell now because I really, really want to get started on the 'honeymoon' portion' would not go over well. It really wasn't something he could help, he was a guy and she was…a lot of things he probably shouldn't be thinking at the moment. "I rushed you, so if you want to wait until the end I don't mind." Well, he did mind, he just wasn't going to say anything and the cold showers would continue. It wasn't as if he hadn't been doing that since the time he realized he wanted her, six more months wouldn't hurt anything.

For some weird reason she actually gave him a somewhat pouty look and he had to turn away from her. Corruption. Yeah, he definitely wanted to corrupt her. This girl…she really had no idea of what she was capable of doing to a man.

"Um…then I want…" she turned him so that he had to look at her "a-as soon a-as p-possible."

Had he heard that right? A little surprised, he stared at her for a while unsure of how to act or what to say. Not that he wasn't glad, he had just expected her to want to think on it a bit more, that's what girls did right? He stared at her for a little longer, making sure that she really was serious. She was.

Suddenly, a completely different feeling came over him and it had nothing to do with taking her to bed.

She was surprised when, after staring at her for what seemed like hours, he pulled her close and kissed her. It was soft yet passionate and when he began to push her down on the couch she didn't resist, wrapping her arms around his neck. His body was warm as he settled on top of her, a hand moving up her side. When he parted he did something very strange; he wrapped his arms around her and laid his head on her chest, closing his eyes.

"Hinata," he said, very quietly "thank you."

Those two words were loaded with so many different meanings and implications. She smiled, moving her hands through his hair as he continued to lay there, holding her. After a long moment he raised his head to look at her, a look that she was beginning to love and enjoy because it was only one he would give around her. Bending down they kissed again for a moment before he began to stand.

"I'm going to shower and change," he told her "after that we'll have to go see Hiashi and then Tsunade." Helping her up, he put his arms around her and pulled her close. "You sure?" he rested his forehead on hers "You don't want to think on it some more?"

Slowly, she shook her head "I…love you and I want to be with you and marriage is a part of that. I've accepted that s-so I don't see a reason to put it off w-when it's something we both obviously want." There was a small frown "A-and I…really don't want to have a big ceremony or anything, m-maybe a get together with close friends afterwards but…"

But they were both quiet, simple people. Neither one liked crowds and neither one liked to be fussed over or the center of attention. Hinata didn't want a grandiose wedding like Sakura, she didn't want the 'normal' type of wedding like Neji and Tenten had when they had finally gotten married. She wanted it very small, very quiet, and then a day to get together with everyone and share the news with them. He could understand that. In fact, he preferred it that way. Maybe he'd make Naruto hold the gathering at his house, that bastard owed him quite a few favors that he had yet to collect on.

"Okay, Hinata." He said after a moment "We'll leave once I'm done."

An hour later the couple could be seen heading towards the Hyuuga estate. Even though they weren't holding hands, merely walking side by side, they looked closer than any clingy couple out there. Although they found it strange that he was walking around in a yukata – it was the only real formal thing he had and Hinata had been the one who had made it for him – no one questioned it. When it came to Uchiha Sasuke, it was just better to accept his weirdness for what it was and not ask questions.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

xxxxx

Sasuke's fingers twitched for his katana. "Just because the deal specified a year based on the timeframe I had given Hinata to give me a final answer," he began "doesn't mean that she wasn't able to make a decision before the year was up. I specifically stated 'Within a year'." He sounded as if he were speaking to a small child.

They were in the Hokage's office, Tsunade was at her desk looking highly irritated, Hiashi was standing to one side of the room with the two most senior members of the Hyuuga council. The couple stood in front of Tsunade and Sasuke was really wishing he could eliminate the old bastards and make his life so much easier. No one would miss them and they were already one foot in the grave as it was, he'd be doing them a favor really.

"There are still many things to be discussed and finalized," this was coming from the most senior council member "Everything for Hinata should be finished first before she's locked into the marriage."

The Uchiha looked at Tsunade, his gaze clearly saying 'Can I please just kill them?' She picked a fine time to forget her sake in her room and she was already getting a headache.

"Hyuuga-sama," Tsunade began, sighing "Uchiha asked Hinata to marry him well before any sort of deal had been discussed and he is right, she was given a timetable of a year but could make her decision at any point during that. The only reason this deal was set up for a year was because that was when an answer was to be expected, but it was not necessary to go through with the marriage." A sigh "In short, if Hinata wants to marry him right now she can marry him right now and based on the agreements made there is not much that can be done for you to stop it."

There was a tense silence before Hiashi spoke up "Since my daughter is agreeing to his request before the specified time, it would mean that any finalized plans can be implemented, correct?"

The Hokage nodded "I can put pressure on the prospective daimyo so we can finalize the land deals and begin building, yes. Uchiha, however, will still need to remain in Konoha until he has completed his time. It was to be a year regardless of when Hinata agreed. There are still loose ends that need to be tied up with your clan, Hiashi."

"We have already made a decision in regards to that, everything will be ready for whenever my daughter decides to head out to the new village." The Hyuuga head informed her "I trust that she has been informed of her role?"

"I didn't tell her because I didn't want her to worry about it if it wasn't going to happen." The Uchiha spoke up, his expression blank. Confusion spread over Hinata and he turned to her "Tsunade asked the Hyuuga if they wanted to establish a clan branch in the village." He explained to her "You will be clan head."

Hinata stared at him in complete shock. A separate division of the Hyuuga clan that she would be running?

"They are former branch members, Hinata," her father explained "and volunteers at that. A full count has yet to be established but not do expect high numbers. Since Oto is practically an extension of Konoha we decided that a smaller branch would be reasonable."

_More like you just want to spread your influence and power._ Sasuke thought but said nothing. If they wanted to establish a Hyuuga branch in the village whatever the hell ever, just as long as they kept the hell away from his kids. The council were like vultures concerning the prospective 'hybrids'. He wondered if the idiots really knew anything about genetics.

"Hinata," her fiancé looked at her "We'll be running both clans together," he told her "it's just that you'll be head of the Hyuuga branch and obviously I will control the Uchiha once an actual clan begins to form. None of this you have to deal with on your own."

That seemed to calm her down a bit, which was good. This deal was massive and she only knew the surface of all that was being done and even that was mind boggling for her.

"We would still like to hold some influence over the branch in Oto," one of the council members stated "It is only fair considering."

These old men obviously thought he was stupid "Influence, not power." Sasuke deadpanned "Once the branch becomes a part of the village and Hinata takes over that's it. Hinata will not have to answer to you, she will not need to make decisions with your approval, she will have complete and total control. Oto is an extension of Konoha for the next five years, the clans are _not_ extensions, there will be no dependency; that was the entire reason for it being a volunteer situation. If you want it to be an extension where you hold some semblance of control keep your clan here, I don't want them."

"Uchiha is doing you all a favor with this, not the other way around," Tsunade reminded the elders "He doesn't have to take in any clan he doesn't want to and if he does he is more than within his rights to call the shots."

When the two elders bristled Sasuke shot them a smirk "What? Who did you think you were dealing with here, an idiot?" he crossed his arms "The entire point of this ridiculously massive deal was that Uchiha descendants are left the hell alone, if I simply give Konoha clans power to manipulate my clans I might as well stay the hell here." Hiashi smiled thinly and the other two council members looked annoyed but apparently they seemed to hold some semblance of respect towards him now. Yes, he had thought of every avenue and loophole they could think of.

"Since it is an actual definite that this will be happening," Tsunade cut in "Once we have the daimyo on board and land borders established we'll begin building. All of this might just take the next six months. Suna will be notified and they'll be sending an ambassador shortly thereafter, as they had agreed."

"All well and good," the Uchiha continued "but we're here to get married, that is, unless there are any _other_ objections?" his tone suggested that there really should not be if one valued their health.

"We will honor the agreement as promised." Hiashi stated "However, I refuse to allow my daughter to run her branch of the Hyuuga without formal training, it would be an insult to our pride and social standing if I allowed her to go with little knowledge of how things are done."

Sasuke shrugged. He didn't care one way or the other. He knew how he was going to run his clan, when or if it started happening. That was something he needed to discuss with Hinata later.

Stepping forward, Hinata turned to her father "Will I need to cancel all missions for training, father?"

"It would be beneficial but not a necessity. Six months is not a long time concerning preparing you to run your own clan. All training would go specifically to learning what you need to know, meaning if you wish to keep your skills as a shinobi sharp it will have to be done on your free time, although you will not have much." He looked at the couple "These next six months you will not be able to see each other as often as you have, Hinata's schedule will make it difficult."

"Will you allow her to move in with me?" the fallen avenger asked "I'm not moving into the Hyuuga compound."

"The thought had not been entertained," Hiashi admitted, giving another thin smile "Since my daughter has reached a decision prior to the end of her time table I would like to ask the Hokage that she be given appropriate lodging for her station. An apartment hardly fits this description."

The blonde rolled her eyes "There are a few houses in the old Uchiha district that they're more than welcome to move into until they leave, I don't really care." She waved a hand dismissively "Alright, all of these little clan details have nothing to do with me or the Uchiha directly so if the couple is ready, I'd like to get you two married and out of my office now." She gave Sasuke a smirk "I'll even be nice and give you a few days off of missions because I'm such a benevolent Hokage."

"Tch." Was the reply from the brunette and he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Whatever." _You're still a goddamn slave driver._

xxxxx

"Your father was really serious about you not living in the apartment." Sasuke muttered darkly as he watched several men move in and out of his apartment with his furniture. He didn't have a lot of clothes so they were all in one duffel bag. "_And_ they're moving your stuff as well, this is going to take the rest of the day." He didn't sound pleased. Holding back an irritated sigh he glanced at her "Tell me you don't have a ridiculous amount of clothes and other girly crap that I'll have to deal with."

Giggling, she took her husband's hand "No," she said lightly "and you're the one always complaining about my clothes not looking good enough."

"No," he corrected, tugging her closer "I said that you wear clothes that hide your figure which bugs me. I haven't said anything about your lack of fashion sense, yet."

Offended, she tried to tug her hand away but he wouldn't let her "M-my fashion sense is…I have good fashion sense!"

"Whatever you need to tell yourself." He replied, watching the movers blandly as they packed away his cupboards full of instant ramen that he had yet to truly dig into. Sasuke didn't hate ramen, but he sure as hell didn't love it either, not enough to eat it for three weeks straight. "Looks like we're eating out tonight." He observed. He had checked out the house they had picked and it would definitely need some cleaning. Apparently that was being taken care of as well and they were told it would be done by the evening.

"We could invite Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan," Hinata offered "They're getting married next month."

He had forgotten about that. "I forgot to go to the tailor's about the tux Naruto wants me to wear." He looked a little unhappy about wearing something so formal. "Sakura is going to…" he scowled "You're dealing with her," he told his new wife "she's been acting more and more like an idiot the closer it gets time for the wedding."

"Well, it's usually a girl's dream to be a bride," she smiled softly at him "so of course Sakura-chan wants it to be perfect."

"Do you want to be a bride?" he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Um, I don't think we'd be married right now if I did."

She had a point so he didn't say anything to that. "Alright," he sighed "We'll go grab the idiot and his bride-zilla and find someplace to eat. I won't be responsible for my actions if she pisses me off, though." He warned her "I've had to hear her crap nonstop while she's been screaming at Naruto about this wedding of theirs."

Hinata moved to cling on his arm a bit "Keep your katana at the house please?" she was half joking; there was a good chance he'd actually bring it and then the chances of things getting ugly would be high.

The look he gave her was definitely one of displeasure "Fine." He said after a long pause. He pointedly ignored her smile, annoyed at how easily she could get her way with him. Really, he needed to cut that out. "I'll even promise to behave if you make me that tomato dish from that one night." Pulling her into his arms he tilted his head as if to kiss her, smirking "Throw in some onigiri and I _might_ even be polite."

Wrapping her arms around him she closed the distance between their lips. After a long moment they parted, her face flushed "I um," she began "I can make it for tomorrow's dinner if you'd like."

He almost said something very inappropriate "Yeah," he said instead "Alright, let's get going since we're not allowed to do anything while they move our stuff. I'll throw my bag in our bedroom at the house and then we'll go." A smile emerged when she blushed at the 'our bedroom' comment.

So now here he was, almost three years since being dragged into Konoha and he was married, going to be running his own village soon and he was actually looking forward to having kids. Not right now, of course, he'd much rather enjoy the time he had with his wife. Besides, he had a feeling when the subject came up she'd have a lot of questions.

xxxxx

"You're married?" Naruto shouted and Sakura slapped a hand over his mouth, flashing Sasuke a nervous smile.

"Dummy, don't scream it where the entire village can hear!" she growled at him "It's obvious they were private about it for a reason."

"Y-yeah but…" the blonde actually looked…pouty? "how did this bastard get married before me?"

Hinata giggled and Sasuke gave him a look "Stop being stupid," he told his friend "it doesn't really matter anyway." He shifted his stance slightly and looked very ready to leave the Uzumaki house. "So are you coming or not? I'm hungry."

"Yeah, of course we are!" he exclaimed, no longer pouty. "Hey Hinata-chan, did you want to invite Kiba or Shino? I mean if you think about it, we're this guy's old team mates so…I'm just saying, so you don't feel left out or nothing."

She smiled demurely at him, slightly surprised by his thoughtfulness "I don't see why not," she looked at Sasuke "Is it okay?"

Dark eyes shifted to her "I don't _care_," he looked irritated "let's just go and eat already."

Kiba was on mission but Shino was available so the group ventured into the yakiniku restaurant due to the amount of individuals present.

"So then, congratulations are in order." Shino said when they told him the news. He didn't sound very surprised and Hinata caught it.

"Y-yes…" she blinked inquisitively at him "it sounds as if you expected it to happen."

Adjusting his shades he inclined his head towards her "Given Uchiha's mental stability and his reaction to your injuries from the enemy, it seemed to be only a matter of time before something happened."

When Hinata looked over at her husband she found that he was pointedly refusing to look at her. He hadn't mentioned the details of their mission to eliminate the organization that had been after him and she hadn't asked. From the way his face hardened at the mention of it she decided it was probably best not to know what happened.

"In any case," the bug user continued "am I to assume that this newfound knowledge is to be kept a secret?"

"Um, not really," Hinata answered "I-I mean we're not going to go announcing it to the entire village but we don't mind if people know."

"I would suggest then that you do not inform the Yamanaka clan of your newly wedded status." Shino advised.

Sakura let out an exasperated sound "That pig will have your business all over the village before the day is up. I mean, Ino's information network is solid and good sometimes, but most of the time it's just a way to be gossipy."

The Uchiha opened his mouth to say something, looked at his wife who was giving him her most cute, innocent gaze and closed it, leaning back in the booth. He really wanted that dish damnit; he didn't know what she put in there but it had been outstanding.

"So you guys are moving into one of the houses?" Naruto asked, a huge grin emerging on his face when his plate of cut meat arrived. "I bet anything Hiashi threw a fit about Hinata living in that bastard's apartment." He snickered, Sasuke grinned, and Hinata sighed.

"Yeah," the Uchiha told his friend "we were told to go away until they're finished." There was a pause as he watched the blonde's expression turn sly "None of your damned business, don't _even_ ask." He ignored Hinata's inquisitive look. She didn't need to know what that idiot had been about to ask, she'd probably die from embarrassment.

"Aw! Man, you take all the fun out of life." He poked at the meat cooking on the grill dejectedly.

The group was in the middle of their meal when Sakura spoke up "Sasuke-kun," her smile was half nervous "I…I just wanted to thank you." Shino and Hinata gave her curious looks before she continued "Tsunade-sama told me that you specifically asked for me to run the medical program for the village."

Hinata turned her gaze to her husband who looked as impassive as always. He didn't respond.

"Yeah, you could have picked anyone, y'know?" Naruto continued, giving his friend a grin "Someone with years of experience and stuff."

"Sakura was trained by Tsunade herself," Sasuke reasoned "I figured she could handle it and Tsunade agreed." He shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal.

"I've been going back and forth to Suna in regards to the medical teams we'll be bringing," the pink haired girl explained, sounding excited "and the staff here have been so amazing. I'm making sure that when it's all done your hospital will be one of the best."

"Hn." Sasuke jerked a thumb to his wife "Give her the details." He murmured "She'd probably be more interested than me."

Blue eyes flickered over to the brunette "Hey, you saying that you don't care about the health of your villagers?" Although he was joking, there was a serious undertone that the Uchiha didn't miss.

"That's not what I said, idiot." He snapped, annoyed "I'm not going to accept something and then do a half-assed job, especially if we honestly do have kids. Quit trying to put words in my mouth." He gave them all a look "You all know how I feel about this place but that has nothing to do with something I'm building and taking care of myself. I'm not doing all of this to just not give a shit about what goes on and the people there." He was actually a little insulted. Yeah, he hated Konoha and he refused to have a family here, but running his own village, with his own clans, that was a different story. He wasn't going to take on a huge responsibility and just not care, that'd just be a waste of time. Uchiha Sasuke did not enjoy wasting his time.

"Um, in any case," Hinata chimed in, looking at Sakura "I actually would be very interested in the medical program. I wanted to join the medical corps but the council was against it. I think now that I can I'd like to spend these next few years learning."

Sakura's smile was warm "Of course, Hinata-chan, I'd be more than happy to help you."

They chatted for a bit longer before dinner was finished and everyone parted ways for the night. Hinata – with a very disgruntled and annoyed Sasuke – agreed to stop by in the morning to take care of the tux and dress issue. Then it was the two of them, the husband still in the yukata Hinata had brought for him and she in a beautiful pale blue and white cherry blossom kimono she had changed into prior to visiting Tsunade to get married. The couple walked with ease along the streets, Sasuke's arm around her slender shoulders while she leaned against him.

He noticed that she kept doing this thing where she would bite her lip worriedly and fidget strangely every now and then. Amused and curious, he let her do it for a bit longer before addressing it. "What's wrong with you?" he asked her and she did a little jump, tilting her head to look up at him. His face remained blank although his eyes showed his idle curiosity "What are you so nervous about?"

The lights to their home were on, which was to be expected as there were still a few people that could be seen moving around, probably finishing up anything last minute. This was a little annoying but he pulled her up the steps and around the side of the house, putting his arms around her. Shyly, she leaned her head against his chest and he bent his head, taking in the soft scent of lavender and lilacs. He loved the way she smelled, it was almost like a natural scent on her, no annoying perfume or something equally distracting.

When his wife didn't answer him he tilted her chin up with a hand for their gazes to meet. Hinata's pale face held a rather pretty blush and her pale pearl eyes were shining with emotion. She tried to bury her head in his chest again but he didn't allow her, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth.

"Hinata, what's wrong?" he couldn't keep the amused tone out of his voice.

"W-well…" once again she tried to look down and he stopped her, now very curious by her strange behavior. "It's just t-that…"

_Okay, she's going to make this painful._ "Just that what, _Hime_?" perhaps using his nickname for her would help her relax. It was funny how in the beginning he had called her 'princess' in a mocking manner and now it was an endearment.

"We're married." She finally said.

There was silence. For a moment all thought processes ceased for him as he took in her rather obvious statement. "Yeah," he raised an eyebrow "you wanted to, remember?" he would have been worried except that she didn't seem unhappy with their new status, just shy.

"B-but…" she bit her lip again and he had to resist the urge to bend down and kiss her. "I mean it's…" she began to fidget again and he sighed slightly, shifting so that he was leaning against the side of the house, his hands on her hips. He pulled her close and let her bury her head in his chest since she was so insistent on it. Really, this girl sometimes…

"It's what?" he probed, a hand rubbing one of her arms soothingly.

"W-well…it's you know…it's really happened."

Once again thought processes stopped because the statement was too obvious for him to want to waste brain power trying to read into it. "Hinata." The hand on her arm once again tilted her head up "We could have waited." He reminded her. He wasn't unhappy being married to her, he had already made up his mind on her months ago when he had first asked.

Seeing that he was misunderstanding she shook her head lightly "It's not…I guess…it's just hard to believe. Um, being married. It's actually happened."

Shifting along the wall he pulled her closer, somewhat getting where she was going with her thought processes. "Why did you want to get married right away anyway?" he asked, genuinely curious "You were insistent on doing it as soon as possible."

Once again she shook her head "I-it's silly." She said, her voice muffled.

Getting answers out of this woman was like pulling teeth when she was shy or embarrassed about something. He wasn't that patient of a man "Hinata, spit it out." He deadpanned "It's too late for me to play the guessing game." And he really wanted those guys to get the hell out so he could take his wife to bed.

"I-I…wanted to because I…wanted to wake up in the mornings with you and um, not have to go home." She admitted "Whenever I came over I was always sad to leave…I felt so at home in your apartment with you. Cooking meals and just…spending time with you. S-so when you said we could get married whenever…that's why."

So she had done it because she wanted to come to his home and stay in his home and well, marrying him was a solid way to make that happen. It was a little refreshing to hear that, at times he wondered if he was the only one really passionate about their relationship. It wasn't that Hinata would push him away if things got too heated between them, but she never initiated anything either. There had been times when she would be in his bed and he would wonder if she wanted him as badly as he wanted her.

Bending down he captured her lips for a moment "We have a few days to ourselves." He murmured low, his hand pressing her flush against him. Tilting his head he brushed his lips along her neck, she had _no_ idea how she made him feel sometimes…

Her breath caught and he had to fight to control his wilder urges. "Y-yes…" her voice was a soft whisper in the night and he felt her small hands slide up his chest, along skin. He began to tug lightly on her earlobe with his teeth.

"Well, you got your wish," his voice was low and amused "now you don't have to leave." _Now you're mine._

She pressed her cheek against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her, just enjoying the feel of her against him. He liked that word, 'mine'. All of the pride he had swallowed, the deals he had made, the bullshit, it all seemed small in comparison to what he got at the end. Now that he had her, all of that didn't seem like such a big deal anymore. If he had to do it again to get to this point he'd do it in a heartbeat. Yeah, it was safe to say he had it bad for her.

"Um," she let out a small sigh "I've been wondering, do you really think our two bloodlines will make some new strange bloodline? The council members have been going back and forth on it and I –"

"They're idiots." He said dryly "The Sharingan and the Byakugan are both very powerful bloodline traits. Genetically there's dominate and recessive genes, meaning that the stronger bloodline would prevail. But since it's us there's a fifty-fifty chance of our kids either having the Byakugan or the Sharingan." He shrugged "The freak-like mutation they're talking about would probably happen if there was enough inbreeding throughout the generations because they're bloodline limits and not something simple like eye color. I heard the Hyuuga are the worst when it comes to that, as opposed to the other clans like mine or someone like the Nara."

A small nod "Everyone in the main house had been somewhat directly related to one another to some extent before the merger." She confessed "Although a main house marrying a branch house wasn't out of the question. My mother was a branch member. Marrying outside of the clan isn't forbidden but main house members were always strongly encouraged to keep the lines pure by marrying other clan members. All clans like to have a 'pure' bloodline so…"

He snorted "And you married an Uchiha."

Looking up at him she smiled softly "Yes, I did."

"The most they could look for with our kids would be higher intelligence and skill." He reasoned "Hyuuga are known to be naturally gifted to a certain extent, so were the Uchiha. The two had the strongest bloodline limits in the village so a direct offspring could lead to some interesting potential."

A small giggle "I remember you once saying you didn't like children."

"Hn." Smirking, he bent his head, his lips brushing along her ear "I still don't, sort of. But I like the process." He could feel her face heating and he began to trail kisses along her jaw "And once those jerks get the hell out of our house I'll show you just how much I like it." His mouth moved down her neck and his hands pulled the fabric of her kimono down just enough to place kisses along her collarbone. When his tongue trails up her neck she shudders and he pulls her harder against him.

Then she surprised him, her hands slid underneath the fabric of his yukata, her soft, warm hands moving up his abdomen and up his scarred chest. He can feel her stand on her toes and he lets out a low groan when she begins her own attempts to kiss along his neck.

"Um," she pulled away at the noise, her face beet red and embarrassed "Did I…" she shifted uncomfortably.

"No, _Hime_," he says hotly against her skin "you're fine." _More than fine._

So he stops moving, tilting his neck to give her better access. Her kisses are feather light and her hands feel amazing along his hot skin. She's never done this before and he has to admit that he _really_ likes it.

He has to bite back the low cry that had threatened to escape his lips when her teeth sank into flesh before she soothed the spot with her tongue. A strangled sound escaped his throat.

"Okay." His voice sounded strained and he put her at arm's length, taking her in. Once again she was doing that incredibly sexy lip-biting thing and she looked up at him so innocently and shyly that he had to close his eyes and take a deep breath. Then he took her hand and began to walk towards the entrance. Surprised, she trails along behind him.

"S-Sasuke?"

"If you're not done _get the hell out_ and come back tomorrow." He snaps as they enter the house, surprising a few of the cleaning crew still there. They stand there for a moment, confused. "All of you. Get. The Hell. Out. Now." He practically snarls it at them and they scurry out as he walks towards their bedroom. Just outside the door he abruptly stops and turns to her, his dark gaze intense. She looks surprised and a little confused but not alarmed.

He took a determined step towards her and her eyes widen, blinking. Then in one swift motion he's plucked her up into his arms bridal style and slides open the door.

"Naruto and Sakura can go fuck themselves on that wedding crap tomorrow." He growled "You're _mine_ tonight and in the morning." He takes in her embarrassed but slightly pleased expression and he grins wickedly at her "I'm going to show you _exactly_ what you've been doing to me all this time, _Hime_." And with that he slides the door closed.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty One**

Contrary to popular belief, prior to his wedding night he had never been with a woman sexually, although some psycho fan-girls liked to claim he was their baby's daddy every now and then. Before Hinata, he had actually never kissed a girl; Karin taking advantage of him while knocked out _did not count_ as him kissing a girl. That was molestation or something.

_Oh yeah, I should probably apologize to her for the Chidori to the chest thing a few years back._ He thought idly. If the dirty looks she gave him every now and then told him anything she was still a tad bit ticked off about that. His excuse was that he had been insane, which was absolutely true. In his defense, however, she had been annoying as hell and besides being his walking GPS and healer – in the weirdest, creepiest way imaginable mind you – she had been shit for a kunoichi. If she ever fought Hinata his wife would thoroughly thrash her. To that extent, if he ever really had to defend himself about that he could just say that she was the fan-girl that broke the camel's back, or however the hell that saying went.

So, besides Karin's molestation attempts Hinata was the only woman he had ever truly been with. Also contrary to popular belief, he was not some sort of sex god that had magically known what he was doing. Because he hadn't. The first time between them had been extremely awkward and, for him, extremely embarrassing. Apparently, he had completely underestimated the difference between using one's hand and actually being inside of a woman. Thankfully, despite his inexperience he also had an outstanding amount of stamina, so he made up for his initial fail with her a few minutes later. That had been enjoyable for all involved, but damn she had felt _amazing_ that very first time and he hadn't been able to hold back. Hinata being Hinata had been her usual understanding self.

After that it had been just the two of them enjoying each other; learning each other's bodies, things they liked or didn't like, more sex shortly thereafter, rinse and repeat until too exhausted to go on. He really didn't know why he could sleep with her around but he loved opening his eyes and having an arm around her or having her snuggled up close along his side. Right now she was, in fact, curled up along his side, her head resting along his chest and her hair splayed out behind her like a dark curtain. He loved her hair, she wasn't obsessive over its upkeep but she took good care of it and it showed.

There really wasn't anything about Hinata that he didn't like. She was an amazing cook, she was clean, she had an amazing body that he had thoroughly enjoyed not even a few hours ago – and hoped to once again when she woke up - she was quiet, she wasn't a bad shinobi, the list went on. She wasn't very clingy nor did she demand all of his attention. He could sit in a room with her and enjoy comfortable silence; she just _fit_ in his life and he honestly didn't know how he had gone all this time without her.

_And back then I had never even given her a second glance and she had been in love with the idiot._ He mused with a small smirk.

He was sure that she would never truly understand how important she was to him. The type of bond and the feelings he held for her were things he had never experienced with anyone else. There had been his love for his family and his clan, his love for his brother, and now her. All he had was her, the others were gone. She was, basically, his life, his world. Despite the fact that he was completely fucked as a human being she had still fallen in love with him and wanted to be with him, even though she knew he had a darker side.

He loved her, although he would probably never be able to say the words out loud – at least not while fully conscious. Thankfully, she didn't seem to want him to declare his love for her verbally on a constant basis. She had asked him once and he had answered. That seemed to be all she had needed. When it came to her personally her self-esteem was lacking but when it came to others she believed in them whole-heartedly.

He knew he didn't deserve her, but he'd happily kill to keep her.

Somewhere off in the distance there was a pounding sound, probably Naruto or the guys from yesterday. Glancing over he noticed that it was well after the time they had claimed they would stop by for that wedding stuff. In all honesty he didn't want to even bother, why couldn't Naruto have picked someone _else_ to be his best man? He hated weddings, he hated being around people and he hated smiling for cameras. The latter he just wasn't going to do and if anyone bugged him about it he'd probably give them one warning before turning violent.

It wasn't just that, Sakura had been getting on his nerves the past few months with her nit-picking and constant changes that she wanted to make or additions she just _had_ to have. She didn't complain to him but she might as well since Naruto always wanted him around whenever they went to do their wedding shit.

All the more reason why Hinata was completely perfect for him, she was simple. She didn't like crowds, he didn't either. She hadn't wanted their marriage to be a big deal and he hadn't either. They, surprisingly, rarely argued.

Hinata hadn't tried to change him, she had seen the outside, the inside, and thought he had been worth it. He had even told her about his nightmares although he didn't remember it. Hinata was meek, shy, introverted, soft spoken, and quiet. She was also the only woman to affect Uchiha Sasuke's heart, as cheesy as that sounded.

Slowly she shifted, pressing herself even more along his side, burying her face in his neck. He smiled slightly, his arm moving from her shoulders to around her waist. In a few days they would see less and less of each other due to their obligations but right now he was enjoying her and the memories of their first night together.

Soft lips began to move along his neck and he closed his eyes as a delicate hand began to move over his chest, fingers brushing over smooth and scarred skin. "Good morning." His wife says softly in his ear, sounding a mixture between sleepy and sated.

"Hn." Was his reply.

The pounding became louder and his wife stiffened before sitting up slightly, looking down at him. He opened one eye and then closed it.

"If you ignore them," He told her "they'll eventually go away."

"What…what time is it?" her hand was still lightly resting along his stomach and he was beginning to wish she'd slide that hand down just a little further…

"Nine." He answers flatly, opening his eyes again. She looked flushed and her hair was a beautiful mess. She was still a little bashful about her body but it appeared that the noise coming from the front of their house was a bit more disconcerting and he found himself unable to remove his gaze from her tantalizing breasts. With a small noise he slides his arms around her body, hands moving along silky smooth skin. Raising his head he begins to kiss along her collarbone, and was moving lower. She let out a small gasp.

"B-but we can't just…leave them out there…" she sounded distraught. He kept forgetting Hinata had a conscious and cared about others. Oh well. One hand slid to cup one breast while his mouth closed over the hardened bud of the other, earning him a soft moan as she lightly arched her back. "S-Sasuke…" she breathed but he didn't respond, he was too busy enjoying the taste of her.

"Bastard!" the couple could hear. It sounded rather loud, meaning that Naruto was actually inside their house. "Where the hell are you? Damnit, this place has so many rooms…"

He buried his face in his wife's stomach, holding her. "I hate him." The Uchiha admitted "If he comes in here I'm going to kill him, I swear." Letting out a few choice swear words he slid out of their bed and pulled on a pair of pants. He turned to her "You. Do not get out of bed, do not get dressed. I'm coming back to finish what I started." She blushed beautifully at him and giggled, sliding underneath the sheets. He briefly wondered if he was becoming a bad influence on her. He certainly hoped so.

Thankfully, Naruto didn't find their room and so after waiting a few minutes for his body to calm down a bit he walked out, finding the blonde wandering around the living room. Crossing his arms Sasuke walked into view.

"What do you want?" came the blunt question and Uzumaki turned.

"You!" walking up he grabbed Sasuke's shoulders and began shaking him "Do you know the hell Sakura-chan's been putting me through because _you_ didn't show?" he actually looked a little pissed off "What happened man?"

Shaking him off the brunette shrugged "We just got married yesterday," he reminded him "What do you _think_ happened?"

He scowled "Then why did you agree to come meet us in the morning?"

"Why the hell did you set us up to come meet you in the morning?" he countered "Who does that anyway? You set yourself up for failure on this one, the two of you should have known better." He crossed his arms again and gave his friend a look "Tell Sakura we'll be there in two hours. She doesn't even need to be there while we do the fittings anyway, you guys already picked out what you wanted us to wear."

Naruto frowned at his friend "Yeah but, Sakura wants to see how the dress looks on Hinata-chan or something and then I guess she and Ino got some kind of lunch thing –"

"No." came the flat rejection "We're going to go, get fitted and then I'm bringing my wife back. We have three days together, Sakura can suck it up." His tone left no room for argument. Sakura could scream like a banshee all she wanted, he was going to do whatever the hell he wanted with Hinata for the three days they had because after that their lives would become extremely hectic. That meant that he was going to hole up with her in this house and relax. Amongst other things.

Speaking of which, she was waiting for him.

"Now, get out." Sasuke snapped "Two hours, go and do your lunch thing, we'll let you know if they fit or not. If she wants, I'll even take fucking pictures, I don't care. And yes, you can tell her I said that and if she wants to bitch she can come to me about it."

Thankfully, it seemed that Naruto understood, or at the very least was being sympathetic.

"Just as long as you do the fitting it should be fine, I'll handle Sakura-chan," Naruto told him "I'll just consider it one of the favors I owe ya."

A shrug. "Fine. Now get out."

One of those goofy sly looks came over the blonde "Eh?" he tried to peek into the hallway where their bedroom was "So you two've been busy eh? I didn't know Hinata-chan had it in her…"

"Get the hell out." He took a step towards him this time and Naruto laughed, backing away with his hands raised.

"I was kidding, kidding! Sheesh. Even though you're getting some you're still sensitive…" he was muttering the last part but Sasuke caught it and Naruto bolted when his friend's eyes began to flash red.

xxxxx

Why was he walking down the aisle with Yamanaka Ino? He didn't even _like_ her. On top of that, he detested people touching him, especially females. So then why was he, Uchiha Sasuke, walking down an aisle with someone other than his _wife_ on his arm?

Oh right, because she had asked him to, oh so sweetly, in her best 'I'm cute, love me' voice. He really needed to stop falling for that.

When he first discovered that because Ino was Sakura's maid of honor and he was Naruto's best man that he'd have to actually tolerate her presence for longer than five seconds he had been two seconds away from telling his best friend to fuck off and find someone else when small, slender hands had rested softly on his arm. Those hands belonged to a woman with the most beautiful pearl colored eyes and soft smile.

"Please, Sasuke?" she had asked him in her soft, unobtrusive voice "It would mean a lot to Sakura-chan."

He had wanted to tell her that he didn't really give a fuck about Sakura's feelings but there was also the hidden meaning beneath her words. Because it'd mean a lot to Sakura, it meant a lot to her, and Hinata's feelings he did give a fuck about. So he had looked down at his pale, demure looking wife who was flashing him a hopeful smile, put a hand through his hair and muttered out a "Yeah, whatever". Apparently he was now what guys would call 'whipped' and there was nothing he could do about it. He has seen her sad, he has seen her in tears, he hates it.

He remembered that night at the hotel when he hadn't been able to deal with another night of her muffled sobs through the walls eating at him, tormenting him. Maybe love did that to a person, because he had never cared about a girl crying before her. Well, he had cared in the sense that they were annoying and he would want to walk away but the feeling that his heart was being ripped out of his chest? Never. Knowing that she had been crying because of _him_ had made it worse.

So he, once again, clamped down on his urges to throw the girl on his arm off of him and focus instead on his best friend standing down at the end of the aisle looking as if he couldn't decide whether or not he wanted to be nervous or happy and the brunette had to admit that it actually looked rather comical. When he had married Hinata he hadn't felt nervous, perhaps he should have? Mostly, he had felt at peace, relaxed. It had been the final confirmation that she was _his_ and that she was never, ever going to leave him. What had made him nervous all that time had been the prospect of her rejecting him. Briefly he thought back to when she had finally agreed, how he had felt. A ghost of a smile flickered on his lips as he remembered how his chest had constricted and all of the words that were caught in his throat that had wanted to come out but wouldn't so he had kissed her instead. There were no words to truly express how he had felt when she had finally said "Yes".

He stood where he had been instructed to as per the rehearsal last night and waited for the bridesmaids and groomsmen. Hinata's partner hadn't shown up until early this morning and he hadn't cared enough to ask who it was. She emerged wearing a flowing pink dress, strapless, that ended just above her knees. While the color looked absolutely horrid on her the dress itself clung to all the right curves and the style itself was appealing. When he looked at the man on her arm he felt something very primal come over him.

The fallen avenger had forgotten about the fact that last time he had seen Hinata around another man, touching her or vice versa, he had became extremely jealous. While he knew he had nothing to be jealous about, it was the fact that it was _him_ that annoyed him and he had no idea why.

Somehow Naruto had managed to talk the Kazekage into wearing one of those horrid tuxes because Sasuke was sure that, like him, he would have wanted to wear his own formal clothing but had agreed to save Naruto's ears from his screeching fiancé. That wasn't what bothered him. To be honest, it wasn't the fact that Hinata was on his arm either. It was the _look_ he had given her when the two of them had joined together to walk down the aisle. His small wife had looked up at the redhead and flashed him one of her warm smiles and he had actually returned it and it seemed that the two actually knew each other. He wasn't entirely sure why but he honestly didn't like Gaara; he was on the same level of 'he pisses me off' as Kakashi. Seeing him with his wife arm and arm made him want to go over there and just…something. He wasn't sure what but it more than likely involved violence.

It didn't help the fact that they actually did look good together. Then again, it was probably just Hinata's natural beauty; she was what made the couple 'look good'. He hated the fact that he was reacting so horribly to the sight of her being with another, even on friendly terms.

"_You are a little possessive."_ She had said to him once. Sasuke had thought that being married to her would have killed that jealousy thing but if anything it felt worse. If anything he wanted to go over there and dominate. Possess. Ensure that the redhead knew that she belonged to _him_. Understanding that he couldn't make a scene on his best friend's wedding day he merely grit his teeth and looked away, he had to.

After the vows the group had to stay behind to take an absurd amount of pictures for the photographers – how many did they _need_ anyway? – then they headed over to the reception area. When he had found Hinata she was standing at a rather large punch bowl, cup in hand, smiling up at Gaara, obviously engrossed in conversation. They weren't saying much but the air between them was light and the man had a small, warm smile as he regarded the brunette. It took him a moment to calm down enough to walk over there and not look like an ass before he stalked over to his wife, putting a hand at her back when he joined them.

Pale green eyes regarded dark grey with a mixture of curiosity, intrigue and wariness. "Uchiha-san." He greeted calmly, all traces of emotion gone from his pale face "It would seem that congratulations are in order not just for Naruto. I was glad to hear that Hinata-san had accepted your proposal."

"Yeah." He said, pulling her against him. "So am I." he said truthfully. He tried to ignore the fact that the Kazekage was on a first name basis with his wife. He really did.

"Temari accompanied me and will be remaining behind for a few weeks to discuss Suna's involvement in the new village. Unfortunately I must depart in the morning to head back."

A worried expression came over Hinata "Oh, Gaara-sama, shouldn't you at least take a day to rest?"

She was _also_ on a first name basis with the Kazekage. Okay.

He smiled thinly at her "Had it been possible, I would have loved to stay for a few days at least, I have not seen Naruto in a long while. Unfortunately, there are some very important issues that require my attention, this free day was the most I could spare, but I did want to be here." He looked over at Naruto who was gushing over his new wife as the couple talked to family and friends "And I am glad I was able to make it."

The two exchanged warm smiles once again and he began to feel very, very, very irritated. Gaara must have noticed, for his gaze flickered to him once before he gave Hinata a small bow.

"Excuse me, Hinata-san," he said politely "I think I will go and congratulate Naruto, it was good seeing you once again." He looked at Sasuke "Uchiha-san." Another small bow and then he excused himself.

"So, you two know each other." It wasn't a question and she looked up at him inquisitively.

"Yes," she looked thoughtful "I've had to travel to Suna a few times on missions and Naruto-kun one time brought me along for a birthday celebration." She smiled – to his annoyance – at the memory "Gaara-sama doesn't really enjoy being fussed over so he had tried to find a less populated area of the reception hall and found me hiding out as well. We spoke for a while, he's very different from when I first saw him during the chunin exams that first time. Um, I guess we kind of became friends after that but we haven't spoken in a long while." She looked up at his impassive face and she frowned slightly "S-Sasuke?" a small hand moved to touch his face "Are you…i-is everything alright?"

_No._ "Yeah." He lied. He knew he was overreacting, Hinata was married to him, not Gaara, and it was obvious that the only thing between the two of them was, in fact, friendship. Just two friends briefly catching up. Yet for some reason he was angry and very jealous over her spending any time at all around another man while he wasn't there. It was like that day when Naruto had hugged and rubbed up on Hinata, all he had wanted to do was take her somewhere and claim her. _Mine_.

"W-would you l-like to dance, Sasuke?" the question brought his gaze down to her. She looked nervous and worried and he fought to get his emotions under control. Hinata wasn't going anywhere, no one was going to take her away, he needed to calm the hell down.

"Yeah." Was the response and he allowed her to pull him out on the dance floor. He only really knew how to dance from using his Sharingan and watching others, he had never personally danced himself. Despite this, he moved as if he had been dancing his entire life, slowly leading and gazing at his wife who was looking up at him with an expression of happiness and love.

_I'm being an idiot._ And he knew it, but he also had an idea as to why the thought of another male around Hinata bothered him so badly. Unfortunately, he wasn't in the mood to admit to it yet although it made some twisted sort of sense. After losing everything he held dear for one reason or another, the fear of losing Hinata, for any reason, was overwhelming and it was making him overreact.

_In the end, she picked me._ He reasoned with himself _She could have told me to go fuck off so many times but here she is, in my arms._

The hand on her hip pulled her close, closing the gap between them. This made her wrap one arm around his neck while the other rested on his chest, his other hand sliding up her back. Once again the urge to dominate and possess hit him and he tilted his head to murmur in her ear.

"Let's go somewhere private." His voice is low and the tone is definitely what women would have called 'hot and sexy'. "Just for a little while."

There was a small gasp from his slender wife as she looked up at him in shock. He did note with smug satisfaction, however, that she had a blush on her face and the hint of desire in her eyes. "W-we can't…I-I mean m-maybe we could j-just go home…"

"No." his grip tightened around her "I want you. Now." It was almost a growl. "There's got to be some rooms where we won't be disturbed." Without waiting for her to protest he took her hand and calmly walked out of the reception hall, looking as if they were perhaps looking for the rest room or something similar. There were a few rooms but most of them were locked, to his annoyance. The one room that wasn't locked wasn't very large but it was dark and there wasn't a window at the door for anyone to peek in. It seemed to be a room for where they kept their tables which was probably making the room seem smaller than it was.

His wife turned to him, a worried look on her face as he locked the door. It wasn't pitch black, the blinds were pulling in a little light from the street lamps. She backed away until she bumped into a table, doing that lip biting thing. He really should tell her that all that does is turn him on.

"Come here, _Hime_." He says softly, shrugging off the tuxedo jacket "I'm not going to hurt you." He sounded amused.

Even in the dark he could see her pale face blush prettily and she looked away from him shyly "W-we really s-shouldn't…" she almost did that finger poking thing she had done back when she was twelve but stopped herself.

"Why not?" he asked, removing his vest, his hand moving to the annoying tie around his neck as he closed the distance between them. "The music is loud and no one will come out this far." He had reached her then, hands moving to her hips, his mouth moving down to plant kisses along her neck "Besides, seeing you in this is driving me crazy." Which was half true. The color was really, really horrible on her but the way it fit on her body was not. Of course, that wasn't the real reason he had brought her here but he refused to tell her the truth. He let a hand trail up her thigh underneath the dress. "You're not wearing pantyhose." He observed and it was a good thing she couldn't see the almost feral grin that had emerged "What else aren't you wearing under here?" she tilted her head to give him better access to her neck, her hands resting on his shoulders. A soft sound emerged when his hand reached her center, rubbing up and down along the fabric. "Lace." He nipped at her neck and began trailing kisses along her collarbone. His hand slipped underneath the fabric, pleased when he found her wet for him "Red or black?"

When she opened her mouth he dipped his fingers into her, earning him a soft cry. She didn't protest when he slid the delicate fabric down her legs and he took a glance. "Blue?" he chuckled heatedly along the top of her chest, his free hand pulling down the fabric of her top to reveal one full, creamy breast. His mouth immediately took the hardened nipple, teeth closing down on sensitive flesh as he moved two fingers fully within her core. She moaned, arching her back and spreading her legs just a bit as he moved in and out slowly. He loved doing this, he loved hearing her moan and pant and whisper his name.

"Sasuke." She breathes and he fights the urge to dominate, to possess. Not yet, he wanted to drive her to a fever pitch and _then_ claim her. Her hands are shaky as they try to unbutton his shirt and he doesn't stop her, instead he pulls the rest of her top down so that he can switch, sucking lightly. Tongue swirls around the sensitive bud and fingers touch and rub where she needs to be touched and her small noises are becoming louder, more frequent. When he felt her nails lightly move over his chest and stomach and her hips begin to buck against his hand he growled, reaching his limit. His fingers slide out and she makes a soft sound of protest. Smirking, he begins to trail kisses back up her neck.

"Do you want me, _Hime?_" he asks, his voice smooth and velvety. Teeth trail along the expanse of her neck "Tell me you want me." It is practically a command as he begins to take off his extremely tight and painful pants.

She makes an amazing noise as his hand, now free from undoing his pants, moves along one breast, teasing her nipple between his fingers. His other hand stays on her hip, keeping her from rubbing against him like she wants. She whispers his name again.

This time he bites down on her neck a little harder "_Say_ it, _Hime_, do you want me?" at this point his voice is hot and heavy along her skin as his tongue trails up her skin, his hand squeezing.

"Y-yes…" she responds "Sasuke…"

Grabbing her, he turns her back to face him, one hand pushing on her back until she is bent over the table. Her breathing is harsh but he can see the slight confusion on her face. Before she can question him he plunges in her hard, a primal satisfaction filling him when she cries out loudly. Bending over her one hand moves to fondle a breast while the other moves down to her folds, fingers stroking her. Slowly he pulls back, almost until he's almost out of her, then plunges in again, his body hardening even more at her sounds of pleasure. He does this a few more times, moving slowly, leaving and filling her before he begins to move at a steadier pace. Dipping his head into her neck he bites down, earning him another soft cry. His thrusts increase in intensity.

"You're mine, _Hime." _His voice sounds strained as he moves in and out of her "_Mine_."

Her head rolls back and he can feel her tightening around him. His fingers increase their speed slightly and he grips her breast hard "Y-yes…" she whispers and then he's gone, pounding into her as hard and as fast as he can, the hand on her breast now on the table to keep himself steady. He lets her hear his harsh breaths along her skin, the low sounds of pleasure that move through him; he wants her to hear. He wants her to know how she makes him feel. When she climaxes her muscles tighten like a hot glove around him, his seed filling her as she milks him. He doesn't shout, he doesn't grunt, he presses his mouth to her ear and a low, hard, long moan escapes his throat as he hits his own peak. It's not enough; it's not enough for him. The urge to possess, to continue making this woman _his_ isn't fading. She lets out a soft sigh when he continues to move lazily within her, catching his breath.

"We're going home, _Hime._" He told her, his voice a hard rumble "I'm just getting started."


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty Two**

Her husband was gone by the time she opened her eyes in the morning, typical with their schedules. With a small yawn she sits up in their bed and stretches a bit before sliding out of bed to go take a shower.

For some strange reason Sasuke had been acting differently last night. It wasn't _bad_ per say, in fact she could honestly say that she had liked it a lot, it had just been different and she wasn't sure what had brought it on. He hadn't hurt her but he had definitely been very aggressive and demanding, an actual first for him. She decided not to dwell on it too much since even if she asked he probably wouldn't tell her.

Dressing in her normal jacket and pants she walks into the kitchen to make herself a quick breakfast when she spots the note on their refrigerator.

_Be back in three to four days._ Was all it said with her husband's name written underneath. Smiling, she put together a small lunch and ate a bit of fruit before heading out. Her schedule was going to be full in the next hour or so, meaning that she had little time as she hurried to the hospital.

xxxxx

"You're not pregnant." Ino told her and Hinata let out a mental sigh of relief. "Do you want me to put you on some birth control?"

There was a small nod from the newest Uchiha "Yes," she told her friend softly "It's not that we don't want them but…" she began to wring her hands "With everything going on it doesn't really seem like a good time."

The blonde nodded "Yeah, you've got your work cut out for you, I'm filling in for Sakura while she's gone for those first five years." There was a moment of tense silence from Ino before she moved away from Hinata to look through a drawer for something. Noticing her tense expression Hinata tilted her head slightly.

"Ino-chan?" she asked softly "Is everything alright?"

She was met with silence so she decided not to push it. Obviously there was something wrong with Ino but Hinata had never been one to probe into one's business. She'd either speak or she wouldn't.

Turning back to the brunette Ino handed her a slip of paper "If you take this over to the pharmacy section they'll give you what you need." There was a small pause where a pensive expression emerged and then she sighed "Hinata-chan?" she waited until she had the other girl's attention "I've been…wondering." Biting her lip she frowned, as if torn between saying something and just dropping it altogether. After another moment of deliberation she decided to just come out with it "How can you not be afraid of him?"

Milky white eyes blinked owlishly at her friend for a moment. Oh, she knew who 'him' was; she was just surprised to hear the question from Ino. Hadn't she been right along Sakura years back when they had been obsessed with Sasuke?

"Um," this wasn't the first time she's been asked this question and she is sure that until she leaves it will not be the last. "I was afraid, at first." She admitted. "He was so very angry and it seemed that he was focusing all of that anger on me for a while." A small sigh "But I learned that he hadn't been angry, well, maybe not in the sense that he seriously hated me, he had been confused. From what he's told me, it seems as if he's always held some sort of feelings for me but in the beginning he had been too angry and frustrated to want to accept it." Once more she began to wring her hands "I know that he's not kind to anyone and if you push him he'll become violent but as long as you leave him alone he ignores you. Since he's been here the only people he has killed have been our enemies. He's not a…good person." She admitted "But I think he wants to be an honorable one. Um, when you think of it like that…" Hinata frowned slightly in thought "He's angry, hateful and violent but there is more than that and it's not something he wants people to see. Naruto-kun and me…we're the only ones that really see that side of him s-so…"

"So you really don't think that he would hurt you?" Ino looked pensive "I mean, they say he's not all mentally there."

Hinata had to admit that she wasn't exactly thrilled about having to explain this to people over and over but maybe if she told Ino word would spread around? "I don't think that saying someone has a 'mental condition' is the same as them being insane. Sasuke was at one point insane and I don't think it's something you ever fully recover from, so I think that's why he's like this now." She shook her head "But I know he'd never hurt me. He did in the beginning when he was confused but he's saved my life so many times…he has changed, even if not many people see it."

Hugging herself slightly Ino gave her friend an apologetic look "I'm sorry, it's just that he's so violent and you're such a kind person, I'd hate for something to happen to you."

Her smile was genuine "Thank you, but you don't need to be concerned about me, Ino-chan." She reassured her friend "Sasuke isn't perfect but he really does love me, I've seen him prove it enough times."

Wishing her friend farewell she picked up her medicine and went back to her little house. From there she went to the Hyuuga compound and her day truly started.

From mid morning until late at night Hinata was with her father. He had been quite serious about the massive amount of things she would need to learn but she tried hard to keep her focus and not let anyone down. There were many things that she had not known about the Hyuuga clan even though she had been a part of the main house. He constantly asked her questions and gave her scenarios where she would have to explain how she would handle it. After the first month he had seemed more and more pleased with the responses she would give him, which had been encouraging.

She had no time to train unless she wanted to miss out on sleep, something she couldn't afford. The last time she actually saw and interacted with her friends had been yesterday at Naruto and Sakura's wedding.

As for spending time with her husband; she saw him less than her friends which was rather sad. He was always off on missions and either she'd be asleep or he waited up only long enough to pull her into bed and sleep. He still could not sleep unless he had her in his arms. Hinata treasured those moments when he would just hold her, his expression peaceful. He said that he didn't dream when she was there and he had admitted that he didn't want to dream, not anymore.

Their sex life had come to a rather annoying halt as well, simply because the two of them were too tired to be intimate. Last night had been the first time in weeks; probably a good thing because now that Sasuke was in a squad Neji had told her a few times that the longer her husband is away from her the more irritable he became. There was also a hint that Neji felt and understood his pain, reminding Hinata that she should probably go visit Tenten whenever she could. They had been married for a while but his assignment to Sasuke had put them in the same situation she was currently in with her own husband. She was beginning to learn that men tended to get rather pissy when they have someone to be intimate with and they can't. Her husband had mentioned Neji having been irritable for a while because he had been unable to be with Tenten.

Despite their lack of time together Hinata still managed to make meals and leave them out for him or for herself for the next day. Like before, he would always eat whatever she had made for him and now that she knew he was somewhat getting some sleep she worried less about him being on dangerous missions.

Two weeks later she was called into the Hokage's office, the ambassador from Suna had arrived.

"Ah, Temari-san!" Hinata smiled brightly at the Kazekage's sister. The blonde returned the smile with a small one of her own. Beside her was Nara Shikamaru, her usual escort when visiting. To her surprise her husband was also in the room, still in uniform. He must have just gotten back and had been instructed to report immediately.

"It's good to see you Hinata," Temari said "Sorry to call you out here last minute like this, we made sure to let your father know so he doesn't think you're ditching."

Her smile was grateful as she moved to stand beside her husband who immediately put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. She couldn't complain, she hadn't seen him in almost a week.

"We have news from the prospective daimyo." Tsunade began immediately, wanting to cut to the chase "It was annoying but we were finally able to get him to agree. The biggest issue was that the previous daimyo of that land still legally held control even though Orochimaru had eventually killed him. The new daimyo had wanted all of the old daimyo's estates, coffers, and everything else under the sun while the remaining family members…well it had been a huge pain in the ass, let's put it that way. This means that construction can begin immediately. The hospital will be one of the first along with the kage tower." She looked at Sasuke "Two months before your time is up you will be going over there and start trying to get your clans together. The volunteer teams will also be going out. By then the tower and hospital should be completed and the academy will be next. There's still going to be a lot of construction to do even after you get there and we'll need to know how you want clan districts to run. Hyuuga and Uchiha lands have already been set aside."

"There's around ten or so clans that had been devastated by Orochimaru's meddling." Sasuke explained "Maybe half of them have enough members to properly function as a full on clan. It should take me a week, maybe two, to give you final numbers." Putting his free hand in his pocket he tilted his head at her "You still haven't told me who is going to be in my council, are they going to be volunteers or permanent residents?"

"A mixture." The Hokage informed him "I can tell you now that Anko and Kakashi are tagging along, Anko is actually staying for the long haul, she'll be training your chunnin into becoming jounin. Kakashi will be a senior member of your council but he'll be returning."

"Gaara is sending Matsuri to teach the children at the academy," Temari offered "but she will be returning. Haruno has been working with the volunteer medical team in Suna but my brother is wondering what will happen when the five years are up. At the moment you don't have any permanent medical staff members."

"We'll work it out." The Uchiha said, shrugging "Sakura's in charge so she'll more than likely have her own plans. If Gaara needs an answer now you'll have to go talk to her."

"Hinata," Tsunade turned to her "tell your father I need those damn numbers on how many Hyuuga will be tagging along as permanent residents, it shouldn't have to take this long."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." She said politely.

"Alright, here's how this is going to work," the busty blonde leaned back in her chair "Temari will be here for two weeks meeting up with Sakura and everyone else involved to hash out details. Once we have everything settled you'll need to be here, Uchiha, so that means I'm taking you off of missions starting next week. There's going to be a ridiculous amount of meetings and you're going to be there for all of them."

He shrugged in confirmation. "Are you going to do the apartments first and then separate districts?" he asked, "It'd make things a lot easier."

"It was my thought." She confirmed "Let them bitch and moan about who is going to be at the top of the food chain and go from there. Alright, that's it for now, Hinata needs to get to her training and Temari needs to get settled in." she looked back at Sasuke "Your last mission will be in two days, details forthcoming."

As the couple was leaving the tower Sasuke grabbed his wife and pulled her into a dark corner, arms moving around her hips before she could even let out a squeak his lips were on hers, passionate and demanding.

"When does Hiashi let you go in the evenings?" her husband asked, burying his face in her neck.

"Usually around ten at night." She admitted "B-but I might be able to convince him to um, let me go a little earlier."

"Hn." Was the response as he continued to breathe in her scent. It was rare that he was able to hold his wife while she was actually awake. "Don't cook." He told her "I'll get take out or something."

Her smile was soft. His way of telling her that he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. She nodded, burying her face into his chest. Despite being gone for days she could still smell his natural scent with the faint scent of blood. The latter was to be expected, ANBU did not have glorious or pretty jobs. "Maybe we could watch a movie?" it was a mild suggestion. She would be tired and it would cut in on her sleep time but it was worth it for a few hours alone with him.

"I don't care what we do, _Hime_." He admits and she can feel his lips brush along her neck "I really don't care."

xxxxx

"Um, I've been wanting to ask this for a while," his wife asked him as they lay in their bed "about children."

The fallen avenger had actually been lightly dozing off "What about them?" he asked, his voice muffled from his head being buried in the crook of her neck. He loved her neck, there was just something about it that was enticing to him. "I already told you we probably won't have any mutants or whatever the hell your council wants to believe."

There was a small giggle and he felt her hand slide over his, which was draped over her stomach. "Well, I mean, you want to rebuild your clan right?"

There was a small pause "You might not want to ask what I think you're going to ask." His head raised and he was fully awake "You won't like the answer."

His wife muttered something about his Sharingan and 'telepathy' but he didn't catch it all "Well, what was I going to ask?" he smirked at how pouty she sounded.

"You wanted to know how many kids we'd have to have to actually really establish a clan since I'm the only Uchiha left."

She didn't say anything for a long moment. "Are you psychic?" came the abrupt question after a while and he actually laughed slightly, placing a kiss on her shoulder.

"No, you're just easy to read." He ignored the small pinch she gave him for that comment "If you want to crunch numbers and seriously try to have enough children to jump start a clan in our situation…it'd be between ten to twenty." She made a harsh choking sound "I _told_ you that you wouldn't like the answer." He reminded her "You'd have to have enough kids so that as the generations went along families within the clan could form. Anyone genetically an Uchiha will be related to each other in some way or another but as the generations go on it'll become more and more distant and sub houses will form." There was a small pause "It's going to be weird because some of our kids will probably have the Byakugan."

"What about the Sharingan?"

There was another pause and then a sigh "Look, if you want an actual_ pure_ bloodline of Uchiha with the Sharingan at least two to four of our kids would actually have to marry each other. From there it'd be cousins but inbreeding would be unavoidable. If there were more Uchiha this wouldn't be a problem but there isn't. It's just me. It almost wouldn't even matter if one had Byakugan and one Sharingan because it'd still be a fifty-fifty chance for either side but if they also want the clan to grow they'd have to have quite a few kids as well. If you do it that way there would be a higher chance of Byakugan users remaining from your direct lineage in the future but it's all a real huge pain in the ass because you can't predict genetics."

She frowned thoughtfully. "So then, there's an actual chance that the Uchiha clan will become one with two bloodline limits."

"Yeah, more than likely. If no one in our family married within and it remained that way, which I doubt, there would probably be Sharingan and Byakugan users but maybe not as powerful because of the thinning of blood or whatever. Otherwise it doesn't matter, cousins will eventually marry cousins and then it'll go from there, so there'll always be Uchiha with either Byakugan or Sharingan or, by some freak mutation, something completely different altogether."

"You really think ten to twenty children…"

"Yes, Hinata." He sounded slightly exasperated "It'd be really damn hard to grow a clan with one or two kids. It's either that or I whore around impregnating women indiscriminately." She giggled at that because he was hardly serious and they both knew it. "_Hime_, this isn't something we need to do. If the Uchiha line dies out with me then whatever, I don't really care. If you want to seriously start a pure bloodline directly from our lineage that's what would have to happen. Eventually the main or 'pure' bloodline would be like the Hyuuga, you guys are all related in some way or another but some are more distant than others."

He began to brush his lips along her shoulder and she wiggled against him, earning her an appreciative grunt "I'd like…for there to be an Uchiha clan again." She admits "I-I mean…it's just that…"

"Let's see if you say that after kid number three." He murmured and began trailing kisses along her neck "You'd _constantly_ be pregnant Hinata, I don't think you'd like it much." In all honesty he really didn't want her to try and go through something like that. When he had been twelve he had seriously wanted to restore his clan but at twelve he hadn't thought about the fact that if he killed his brother it'd be up to him and true Uchiha have to come from _somewhere_. It was virtually impossible to rebuild a pure blooded clan with one member without either having multiple women having his kids or having one woman pop out a lot of kids. If he had seriously thought about it back then he probably wouldn't have wanted to do it so much although all of the girls in the village would have been more than happy to volunteer. Hell, they _still_ were, he somehow managed to still have fan-girls even with his past and bad temperament.

"There is one thing, though," he began, his hands beginning to roam along soft pale skin "even if we don't have any kids I'll still enjoy going through the motions." Her soft giggles turned into small sounds of pleasure and he smirked along her skin.

xxxxx

"When you arrive in Oto there will of course be a few ceremonies," Hiashi told his oldest daughter "One of them will be you becoming clan head for the Hyuuga branch there. There is already a main house built which will be more than enough for the ones coming along."

"How many will be coming, father?" she asked. For some reason they had been keeping the actual number a secret and now that they were leaving tomorrow she wanted to know _something_.

"You will see." Is what he tells her, is what he's been telling her for a while now. "They will be traveling with you for the trip."

"I understand." Although she really didn't. Why all the secrecy?

"I have taught you all I can with the limited amount of time we had," he told her "but you have learned quite a bit and you hold a natural ability to lead as long as you believe in yourself. You are kind and gentle but you also know and understand when it is time to be firm. Every leader has their way of doing things and contrary to what the council believes, it is not a weakness to be a kind and gentle leader. I feel confident that you will do well." Standing up, he walks over to his daughter in the study and puts his hands on her shoulders "I have only told you once that I am proud of you but it needs saying once more. I am proud of the woman you have become, you are strong in more ways than one and you stand up for your beliefs. Despite pressure from the main house you stayed determined to be with Uchiha and he proved himself worthy of you. You and yours will always be welcome here and I do ask that you keep me informed on the on goings of your clan. I will also send Hanabi to visit often, I believe she would benefit from the experience."

Fighting back tears Hinata nodded "T-thank you father." She says it softly, almost a whisper.

xxxxx

"You are so sentimental." Sasuke tells his wife, more amused than anything else. "We didn't even live in here that long, stop crying already."

Hinata shoots him a soft glare and refuses to wipe away her tears, her small way of being defiant. "Yes b-but…I have special memories." Her face flushed as she remembered their first night in their little house. "We've been here since the first day we married."

Sighing, he moves in behind his wife and pulls her close "We still have the bed, that should be good enough right? I mean, that _is_ where our night happened."

The look on her face was priceless. "Sasuke!" she looked miffed and a little sad "Yo-you're so insensitive." She says it softly and a little dejectedly and his arms tighten around her middle.

"Sorry." He says although he doesn't sound very sorry at all. "I haven't been attached to a home in a long time and we barely really lived in this one."

"I-I guess…"

Turning her to face him he kisses her passionately, his hands sliding up her back. Her arms wrap around his neck and he holds her like that for a while before lifting his head, his dark gaze taking in her flushed face and swollen lips. He should probably stop kissing her like that because every time he did he'd want to just take her and…

"I'd rather have you to remind me of that night instead of a room." His voice is low as he rests his forehead on hers "And I do remember it, just like how I remember the way I felt when you finally gave me an answer. I could give a damn if I ever see that hospital room again, looking at you reminds me of that day." His arms tighten around her "That's the truth, _Hime_, every time I look at you I think of it and how you…" he stops, unable to voice the way he fully feels. Perhaps one day he will be able to do such a thing, to open his mouth and tell her everything that he feels about her. He sighs, almost sounding a little shaky "Hinata, I have no idea what I would have done if you had said no." he tells her honestly, murmuring it in her ear, his voice soft. "I really don't." _You became the reason why I wanted to live and keep my promise to my brother._

xxxxx

"Sakura left about a month ago to set up the hospital," Kakashi explained to the two Uchiha "Naruto left a few weeks ago. Anko and I will keep ahead of you guys since you have your clan coming with you." His expression grew thoughtful and then he smiled at them "I almost forgot, I have a wedding present for the two of you –"

"If it's porn we don't want it." Sasuke deadpanned.

His old sensei pouted "So little faith in me, and after I went through such great lengths to find the perfect gift…"

"We will love whatever you've brought for us, Kakashi-sempai." Hinata told him with a bright smile. Sasuke glared down at her and Kakashi flashed Hinata a bright smile. Well, as much as he could through the mask in any case.

"You're so sweet Hinata-chan," he says "I wish my little team had grown up to be as sweet and cute as you."

When she turned a bright red Sasuke took a step forward and Kakashi held up his arms, giving the other man a nervous smile.

"_Stop_ hitting on my wife." He growled at his former sensei. "She has no idea how depraved your mind really is."

A dramatic sigh as he turned back to Hinata "This is what I had to deal with for years." He says to her and she giggles, earning Kakashi another glare from his former student. Instead of responding he takes Hinata's arm and walks away, ignoring Kakashi as he muttered "It's going to be a _long_ five years" to himself.

Something caught Hinata's attention out of the corner of her eye and she turned to see around thirty Hyuuga, all former branch members. Slowly she walks over towards them, her eyes wide with surprise. This many? This many had volunteered to become a part of the new branch?

"All of them have cared for you since you were a little girl." A voice came in. Turning, she spotted Neji with Tenten at his side, both smiling. "When Hiashi-sama asked us who would like to volunteer there were actually more than this, so he had me go through and pick the people that would benefit such a small starting clan."

"This…is really…"

"Your new clan." Her cousin confirms "And I will be joining them."

She must have heard that incorrectly "You're…going to stay with us?" he was truly going to leave Konoha? He was in ANBU, he had a good career as long as he stayed.

"My promise was to protect you, Hinata-sama," he begins "and it will be a little difficult to do that if you are so far away." A small smile "Tenten and I discussed it at length and then Hiashi-sama personally approached me. It is understood that you will not exactly be able to fully run the clan considering your obligations to growing the Uchiha clan and being the wife of the Otokage. I have been appointed as your most senior council member and, for the most part, I will be the one actually leading the clan. If you desire to make it official Hiashi-sama informed me that you could do this, since you will still be leading a clan; your training was not for naught."

"We'll always be Konoha shinobi," Tenten came in "but Neji wanted to stay by your side and considering how close you two are, there was no way I could say no." her smile widened "Besides, we're practically sisters now, right? With you leaving, you'll need some familiar faces to stick around for the long haul."

She had to nod because if she spoke she knew she would start crying. Behind her she could feel Sasuke's presence and then his arm was around her shoulder. When she turned to look up at him his face was blank but his gaze was intense. She smiled at him and he gave her a ghost of a smile before letting her go.

"We have everything," he told her "our other stuff has already been sent over there and I hear that it should all be set up by the time we arrive."

"I'm nervous." Hinata told him later on that night when the group camped out for the night. He was sitting against a tree with his wife in between his legs, an arm around her. "It all seems so big."

"Hn." Leaning his head back against the tree he looked up at the sky "Yeah, it is. Believe it or not there's supposed to be a welcoming party, almost all of the clans in that land have settled in for now."

When she let out a shaky breath his grip around her tightened "E-everyone, they came through for us." She smiled up at him but his gaze hardened a bit.

"No, they're here because of _you_." He said flatly "Don't ever misunderstand that, Hinata, all of these people are here because they either trust that with you being with me that things will work out or because they care about you in some way. This village wouldn't even _exist_ if I had tried to make the deal on my own. It's always been about you, _Hime_, from start to finish." Bending down he wrapped his other arm around her and pressed his lips to her ear.

"This deal, the things I did, the sacrifices I made," he continued, speaking so that only she could hear "yeah, it was so that if we ever have kids they wouldn't be controlled by Konoha but in the end, we could never have a kid and I'd be fine with it. I didn't do all of those things for future kids, I did them because I wanted to be with you. I did them because that night when you almost died I realized that I wouldn't have a life or a future without you. Without _you_ this life has no meaning and so to keep you I did, and would do, anything. Anything, _Hime_."

Shifting so that she could lie against him sideways she tried to bury her face in his chest so he wouldn't see her tears. One hand began to rub up and down her back; the other kept her close to him.

"Sasuke…" she whispered and he leaned his head down again, tilting her chin up so their gazes could meet and then he kissed her.

"I love you, Hinata." He says against her lips "That's what I wanted to say that day when you said you'd be with me. The last time I remember being genuinely happy was when I was a kid, before the massacre. That day, when you said yes, that was the first time since that day that I had felt real happiness. So…" he buried his face in her neck as he pulled her as close against him as he could "Thank you. For everything."


End file.
